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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


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liittle  Frank  Innian,  Jr.,  places  the  copper  box  in  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  build- 
ing: of  Oglethorpe  University.  Mr.  Wm.  H.  George,  the  superintendent  of  construction 
work,  stands  immediately  behind  him,  with  Dr.  Thornwell  Jacobs  to  the  right.  Little 
Frank  is  the  son  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Grounds  Committee  and  grandson  of  Sam  Inman, 
whose  recent  death  was  the  sorrow  of  the  whole  cbarob, 


V 


OGLETHORPE   UNIVERSIH    BULLETIN 


VOL.  I. 


July,  1916. 


No.  8 


Pnblislied  montUy  by  Oelethorpe  University,  Ailanta,  Geor^a. 
Edited  by  Ttaornwell  Jacobs 


THE    OGLETHORPE 
STORY 


Entered  as  Eccond-class  mail  matter  at  the  Postoffice  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 


CONTENTS 

Introduction 5 

The   Grandfather's   Tale    11 

Under  the  Urge   18 

A   Marvelous   List   22 

With   a   Broken   Swoid   31 

On  Ravens'  Wings  33 

The  Help  of  the  Psychic  City 71 

Again  the  Churches  76 

Laying  the  Corner  Stone  105 

The  Marvelous   Record  107 

Appendix    125 


INTRODUCTION 


This  volume  is  published  as  a  tribute  to  some  five  thousand 
men  and  women  who  love  their  ideals  so  well  that  they  are 
willing-  to  let  a  little  blood  for  them. 

Each  line  in  it  is  designed  to  be  a  reminder  of  the  kindness 
and  worth  of  human  nature  and  of  the  goodness  and  trust- 
worthmess  of  God. 

As  I  look  back  on  the  events  of  the  last  few  years  they 
seem  to  me  to  have  been  so  remarkable  as  to  be  worthy  of 
permanent  preservation. 

This  record  has  been  written  in  a  personal  form  in  order 
that  the  clearness  of  its  witnessing  might  be  heightened. 

It  IS  published  now  because  it  is  needed  now,  for  there  must 
be  many  more  to  join  this  determined  band.  It  is  written 
fully  in  order  that  the  spirit  in  which  the  University  has  been 
founded  should  be  understood  fully.  Yet  it  includes  only  part 
of  the  great  work.  Other  chapters  and  other  volumes  are  be- 
ing written  in  life-deeds.  Such  is  the  splendid  work  of  Dr. 
B.  M.  Shive  and  Dr.  H.  J.  Gaertner,  the  story  of  whose  la 
bors  would  each  make  a  similar  volume,  and  doubtless  will 
do  so  in  the  days  to  follow. 

The  story  includes  only  those  churches  which  the  writer 
has  individually  visited.  Mention  should  be  made  here  also 
of  certain  noble  gifts  made  by  individual  solicitation,  not  in- 
cluded on  the  following  pages.  Such  were  the  thousand 
dollars  from  Mr.  H.  K.  McHarg  given  under  the  shadow  of 
the  Great  Stone  Face ;  the  thousand  dollars  given  by  Mr. 
'George  W.  Watts,  whom  the  whole  Church  loves ;  the  thou- 
sand from  Mr.  L.  C.  Mandeville.  friend  of  all  good  causes  ; 
the  thousand  dollars  of  the  Presbyterian  Ministers'  Associa- 
tion ;  a  thousand  dollars  or  more  from  a  number  of  Atlanta 
churches  during  the  local  popular  campaign  for  a  quarter 
-million    dollars ;    the    thousand   dollars    given    by    Mr.    W.    S. 


6  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

Lindamood,  one  of  the  truest  friends  that  the  movement  has 
anynvhere  won  in  the  whole  Southern  Presbyterian  Church 
and  the  most  g-enerous  gift  of  our  campus  made  by  Mr. 
C  H.  Ashford,  in  part,  and  partly  secured  through  the  influ- 
ence of  local  business  men  of  Atlanta  from  the  Silver  Lake 
Park  Company.  This  campus  which  is  rapidly  increasing  in 
value,  is  conservatively  estimated  to  be  worth  a  great  deal 
more  than  the  $100,000.00,  at  which  figure  it  is  carried  on 
our  books. 

We  doubt  whether  there  has  ever  been  made  by  any  people 
in  the  history  of  the  world  an}^  such  wonderful  record  of  gen- 
erosity as  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  is  shown  to  have 
made  on  the  pages  that  follow.  The  story  of  it  is  scarcely 
believable.  Partly  for  that  reason  we  have  published  in  large 
type  a  running  history  of  events  and  in  smaller  type  at  the 
foot  of  the  pages  we  have  re-printed  from  the  Westminister 
Magazine,  and  occasionally  from  other  papers,  the  contempo- 
rary record  of  the  events. 

The  story  of  these  amazing  gifts  from  one  hundred  churches 
(one  of  which,  Quincy,  Florida,  we  are  writing  down  this 
morning.  May  2d,  as  if  it  had  already  been  given,  so  sure  are 
we  that  it  will  be)  is  told  in  chronological  order,  as  follows : 

Milledgeville,  Georgia. 

Marietta,  Georgia. 

Valdosta,  Georgia. 

Rome,  Georgia. 

Grififin,  Georgia. 

Decatur,  Georgia. 

Elberton,  Georgia. 

Dalton,  Georgia. 

LaGrange,  Georgia. 

Newnan,  Georgia. 

Clinton,  S.  C. 

Macon,  Georgia   (First  Church). 

Columbus,  Georgia. 

Quitman,  Georgia. 

Greenwood,  South  Carolina. 

Rock  Hill,  South  Carolina   (Ebenezer  Church). 


INTRODUCTION 

Savannah,  Georgia,  (First  Church.) 

Waycross,  Georgia. 

Laurens,   South   Carohna. 

Savannah,  Georgia,  (Independent  Church.) 

Blackshear,  Georgia 

Nashville,  Tennessee,  (First  Church) 

Houston,  Texas,  (P^rst  Church.) 

Houston,  Texas,  (Second  Church.) 

Greenville,  South  Ci^roUna,  (Second  Church.) 

Fort  Mill,  South  Carolina. 

Montgomery,  Alabama. 

Atlanta,  Georgia,  (West  End  Church.) 

Augusta,  Georgia,  (First  Church.) 

Atlanta,  Georgia,  (First  Church.) 

Jacksonville,  Florida,  (First  Church.) 

Orlando,  Florida. 

Augusta,  Georgia,  (Greene  St.  Church.) 

Lawrenceville,  Georgia. 

Vicksburg,  Mississippi, 

Cartersville,  Georgia. 

Mobile,  Alabama,  (Government  St.  Church.) 

Galveston,  Texas. 

New  Orleans,  Louisianrt,   (LaFayette  Church). 

Birmingham,  Alabama,  (First  Church). 

Mobile,  Alabama,  (Central  Church.) 

Gastonia,  North  Carolina. 

Selma,  Alabama. 

Pensacola,  Florida. 

Fort  Worth,  Texas,   (First  Church.) 

Fort  Worth,  Texas,   (Broadway  Church.) 

Thomasville,  Georgia. 

Sanford,  Florida. 

Greenville.   South   C&rolina,    (First   Church.) 

Sparta,  Georgia. 

Palatka,  Florida. 

Water  Valley,  Mississippi. 

Tampa,  Florida,  (First  Church.) 

Little  Rock,  Arkansas   (First  Church.) 


8  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  (Second  Church.) 

Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana. 

Greenville,  Mississippi. 

Jackson,  Tennessee. 

Norfolk,  Virginia. 

Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  (Central  Church.; 

Grenada,  Mississippi. 

Fayetteville,  Tennessee. 

Crowley,  Louisiana. 

Danville,  Kentucky. 

Monroe,  North  Carolina. 

Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  (First  Church.) 

Chattanooga,  Tennessee,   (Central  Church.) 

Alexandria,  Louisiana. 

Albany,  Georgia. 

Marshall,  Missouri. 

Centreville,  Alabama. 

Lakeland,  Florida. 

Atlanta,  Georgia.  (North  Ave.  Church.) 

McComb,  Mississippi. 

Murfreesboro,  Tennessee. 

Corinth,  Mississippi. 

Charleston,  South  Carolina,  (Second  Church.) 

Pulaski,  Tennessee. 

Raeford,  North  Carolina. 

Anderson,  South  Carolina,  (Central  Church.) 

Franklin,  Tennessee. 

Ktngstree,  South  Carolina. 

Clover.  South  Carolina. 

Vorkville,  South  Carolina. 

Paris,  Kentucky. 

Morristown.  Tennessee. 

Greensboro,  North  Carolina. 

Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,   (East  Liberty  Church.) 

Charlottesville.  Virginia. 

Manning,  South  Carolina. 

Millersburg,  Kentucky. 

Bradentown.  Florida. 


INTRODUCTION  9 

Texarkana,  Arkansas. 

Texarkana,  Texas. 

Memphis,  Tennessee,  (Second  Church.) 

Marshall,  Texas. 

Newbern,  North  Carolina. 

Macon,  Georgia,  (Tatnall  Sq.  Church.) 

Memphis,  Tennessee,  (Alabama  St.  Church.) 

Quincy,  Florida. 

Of  all  these  churches,  not  one  has  failed  to  give  one  thou- 
sand dollars  or  more  to  Oglethorpe  University. 

For  them  all,  and  to  them  all,  we  render  our  thanks  trust- 
ing that  their  gifts,  beautiful  and  wonderful  though  they  may 
be,  are  but  a  token  of  many  more  to  follow : 

"So  this  we  grave,  that  all  who  read  may  know  ; 
Wherein  we  struck  for  that  whereof  we  dreamed, 

Yet  dreamed  we  not  nor  struck,  to  all  that  seemed 
This  is  the  kcv :     His  will  hath  made  it  so." 


10 


THE  OGLETHORPE  STORY 


THE  PRAYER  OF  OGLETHORPE  UNIVERSITY 


Father  of  Wisdom,  Master  of  tke  schools  of  men,  of  thine 
all-knowledge  grant  me  this  my  prayer:  that  I  may  be  wise  in 
Thee.  Sink  Thou  my  foundations  down  deep  into  Thy  bosom 
until  they  rest  upon  the  vast  rock  of  Thy  counsel.  Lift  Thou 
my  w^alls  into  the  clear  empyrean  of  Thy  truth.  Cover  me 
with  the  wings  that  shadow  from  all  harm.  Lay  my  threshold 
in  honor  and  my  lintels  in  love.  Set  Thou  my  floors  in  the 
cement  of  unbreaking  friendship,  and  may  my  windows  be 
transparent  with  honesty.  Lead  Thou  unto  me.  Lord  God, 
those  whom  Thou  hast  appointed  to  be  my  children,  and  when 
they  shall  come  who  would  learn  of  me  the  Wisdom  of  the 
Years,  let  the  crimson  of  my  windows  glow  with  the  Light  of 
the  World.  Let  them  see,  O  my  Lord,  Him  whom  Thou  hast 
shown  me;  let  them  hear  Him  whose  voice  has  whispered  to 
me  and  let  them  reach  out  their  hands  and  touch  Him  who 
has  gently  led  me  unto  this  good  day.  Rock-ribbed  nvay  I 
stand  for  The  Truth.  Let  the  storms  of  Evil  beat  about  me 
in  vain.  May  I  safely  shelter  those  who  come  unto  me  from 
the  wild  winds  of  Error.  Let  the  lightning  that  lies  in  the  cloud 
of  ignorance  break  upon  my  head  in  despair.  May  the  young 
and  the  pure  and  the  clean-hearted  put  their  trust  securely  In 
me  nor  may  any  that  ever  come  to  my  halls  for  guidance  be 
sent  astray.  Let  the  blue  ashlars  of  my  breast  thrill  to  the 
happy  songs  of  the  true-hearted  and  may  the  very  earth  of 
my  campus  shout  for  joy  as  it  feels  the  tread  of  those  who 
march  for  God.  All  this  I  pray  of  Thee;  and  yet  this  more: 
that   there   may  be   no   stain   upon   my  stones,  forever.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Grandfather's  Tale. 

In  the  late  eighties  of  the  Nineteenth  Century,  an  aged 
grandfather  used  each  summer  to  leave  his  home  in  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  and  come  east  to  visit  his  son  in  South 
Carolina.  For  over  eighty  years  he  had  lived  the  life  of  a 
professor  and  preacher  and  even  now  would  read  his  Tes- 
tament in  the  original  Greek.  There  was  a  little  grandson 
who  used  to  sit  often  near  his  great  arm-chair  to  ask  ques- 
tions and  to  hear  stories  and  one  of  the  stories  which,  to 
this  day,  he  remembers  with  the  greatest  distinctness  is  that 
of  a  school  which  was  founded  many  years  ago,  when  even 
the  grandfather  was  a  youth  and  in  which  he  had  taught 
as  a  mature  man.  The  little  boy  learned  to  picture  the  class- 
ic outlines  of  its  white  Doric  columns ;  and  to  image  the 
great  college  chapel  which  was  reputed  to  be  the  finest  in 
the  United  States  at  the  time  and  more  than  once  he  said : 

"Grandfather,  when  I  get  to  be  a  man  1  am  going  to  Ogle- 
thorpe, too." 

The  answer  was  always  the  same  and  the  tones  were  full 
of  sadness. 

"No,  my  boy,  you  will  never  stand  on  the  Oglethorpe  cam- 
pus." 

He  was  a  wise  old  man,  known  as  a  thinker  and  a  scholar 
in  his  day  and  one  who  was  accustomed  to  search  the  hori- 
zon for  signs,  yet  though  he  was  right,  he  was  wrong.  Only 
today  I  stood  on  the  Oglethorpe  campus.  How  he  was  both 
I  am  going  to  tell  you  in  the  pages  that  follow. 

In  the  years  that  came  after  I  learned  many  things  about 
Oglethorpe.  The  old  grandfather  was  gone  by  the  time  my 
college  days  had  come,  leaving  the  images  of  the  Doric  pil- 
lars and  the  great  orrery  on  which  the  solar  system  revolved 
at  his  school  and  I  found  that  the  college  in  which  he  had 


12  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

taught  was  only  a  memory.  It  also  had  died.  One  by  one 
I  placed  fact  by  fact  and  pieced  the  story  of  her  life  together. 
Founded  in  the  early  years  of  the  Nineteenth  century,  when 
in  all  that  vast  expanse  of  empire  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  oceans,  south  of  the  Virginia  line,  there  was  not  a 
Presbyterian  college  for  men,  she  had  steadily  grown  in 
money  and  influence  until,  in  the  decade  of  the  fifties  Ogle- 
thorpe University  was  an  institution  of  power  and  was  grad- 
uating the  manhood  of  the  southeast  into  careers  of  use- 
fulness and  service.  At  college  they  told  me  of  LeConte, 
the  great  geologist,  who  was  one  of  her  professors,  and  of 
the  immortal  Lanier,  who  for  four  years  was  one  of  her  stu- 
dents, and  later  one  of  her  tutors  and  from  her  halls  with 
the  Oglethorpe  cadets  went  out  to  the  wars.  I  learned 
of  James  Woodrow,  uncle  of  the  present  President  of  the 
United  States,  who  was  loved  as  much  for  his  humble  piety 
as  he  was  admired  for  his  brilliant  scientific  attainments  and 
of  his  little  nephew.  "Tommie,"  who  was  often  rocked  to 
sleep  on  her  campus,  little  dreaming  that  he  was  later  to 
be  the  President  of  the  United  States.  One  by  one  these 
and  other  names  of  her  great  teachers  became  familiar: 
Talmadge  and  Beman  and  Baker  and  others  of  equal 
grace  and  power.  Among  her  alumni  I  heard  mentioned 
the  names  of  governors  and  justices  and  discoverers  and 
moderators  of  the  General  Assembly  and  good  honest  farm- 
ers and  merchants  who  were  Christian  gentlemen  unafraid. 
And  then  I  learned  how  in  the  early  sixties  there  had  come 
a  call  to  arms  in  the  South  and  how  every  boy  on  the  Ogle- 
thorpe campus  went  out  to  serve  in  one  army  or  the  other ; 
of  how  the  trustees  met  and  invested  the  endowment  in  Con- 
federate bonds  and  of  how  the  old  school  died — at  Gettys- 
burg. 

And  so  I  learned  to  love  Oglethorpe.  Of  all  the  strong  col- 
leges on  the  American  continent,  she  alone  died  for  her 
ideals.  Others  came  back  from  the  battle,  scarred  perhaps 
or  wounded  sore,  but  Oglethorpe  perished,  for  that  she  loved 
her  own  too  well. 


THE    GRANDFATHER'S    TALE  13 

Once  1  told  that  story  in  a  church  in  the  West  and  after 
the  service  I  noticed  a  gray-haired  gentleman  who  was 
waiting  to  speak  to  me.  When  the  opportunity  offered  he 
looked  at  me  intently  and  said :  "Did  I  understand  you  to 
say  that  Oglethorpe  University  died  at  Gettysburg  "  I  ex- 
plained to  him  the  sense  in  which  1  meant  it.  "Well,"  he 
said.  "1  am  a  Federal  soldier  and  i  was  at  Gettysiburg.  and  1 
guess  I  helped  put  her  out  of  business."  Then  there  came 
a  moisture  into  his  eyes  as  he  added:  "So  help  me  God, 
I  am  going  to  help  put  her  back  in  business !"  He  wrote 
his  name  down  for  a  liberal  subscription  to  rebuild  the  Uni- 
versity, and  then,  placing  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  he  con- 
tinued :  "Young  man,  tell  the  men  of  the  South  for  me  that 
if  they'v€«  got  the  same  sort  of  stuff  in  them  that  the  fellows 
had  who  faced  me  at  Gettysburg,  it  won't  take  them  long 
to  rebuild  their  University!"  I  have  seen  tears  gush  into 
the  eyes  of  men  to  w'hom  I  have  delivered  that  message 
from   the  fine  old  Federal   soldier. 

When  the  old  school  perished  from  the  earth  it  left  the 
Presbyterians  of  the  South  facing  as  desperate  an  educational 
situation  as  ever  denomination  faced.  To  tell  that  story 
properly,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  you  back  to  the  late 
years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when,  in  the  little  Presby- 
terian church  of  Morganton,  N.  C,  the  Presbytery  of  Hope- 
well was  set  up  by  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia, 
then  in  session  there.  The  territory  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Hopewell  was  modestly  described  as  the  state  of  Georgia 
with  a  suggestion  of  everything  west  of  that  commonwealth 
being  included  as  home  mission  territo^3^  It  is  a  coincidence 
that  I  delight  often  to  remember  that  the  Morganton  church, 
in  which  this  marvelous  Presbytery  was  set  up,  was  my  first 
pastorate. 

I  say  marvelous  because  scarcely  had  it  began  its  separate 
life  before  it  started  upon  a  career  of  unmatched  brilliance, 
in  so  far  as  the  educational  interests  of  this  section  are  con- 
cerned. As  early  as  1809  it  began  the  movement  which  re- 
sulted  in  the  establishment   of  a   Theological   Seminary   for 


14  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

the  southeast,  an  institution  which,  beginaing  its  career  in 
Georgia,  was  later  moved  to  So4j'th  Carolina,  and  is  now 
located  in  Columbia,  the  capital  of  that  state.  In  the  spring 
of  1823,  they  organized  the  famous  Education  Society  whose 
avowed  purpose  was  to  give  a  Christian  education  to  the 
white  boys  of  the  South.  Begun  by  Presbyterians,  it  soon 
numbered  all  denominations  in  its  membership  and  before 
they  had  done  with  their  program  they  had  founded  three 
great  Christian  colleges  and  become  the  historical  mother 
of  many  more.  One  of  the  direct  results  of  this  fine  educa- 
tional movement  was  the  founding  of  Mercer  University,  the 
w^ell-known  Baptist  school  of  the  southeast,  which,  from  that 
day  to  this,  has  been  the  intellectual  beacon-light  of  that 
great  denomination  in  this  section.  Another  was  Emory  Col- 
lege, now  become  Emory  University,  the  institution  to  which 
Mr.  Asa  G.  Candler  has  recently  given  a  million  dollars  cash 
and  which  has  now  become  the  educational  idol  of  the  South- 
e4-n  Methodist  Church.^     But  the  first  founded  of  the  three. 


(1)  Few  more  interesting  series  of  coincidences  hiive  ever  been  noted  than  that 
contained  In  the  following  letter  of  Mr.  Bellingrath  showing  as  it  does  the  per- 
sonal Influence  of  one  church  over  another.  It  was  written  to  a  prominent 
friend  of  his  who  is  a  Methodist. 

"A  few  hundred  years  ago  a  fellow  by  the  name  of  Calvin  broke  away 
from  the  old  school  of  thought,  and  established  the  first  Presbyterian  Church, 
a'nd  not  long  afterwards  your  Mr.  Wesley,  banking  on  Calvin's  good  judg- 
ment,  established  a   Methodist   Church. 

About  1842  we  Presbyterians  came  in  from  Decatur,  Ga..  and  established 
a  Presbyterian  Church  in  Atlanta,  and  y»u  followed  us  in  1847  with  a  Meth- 
odtet  Church  and  pitched  it  within  half  a  mile  of  us,  and  about  1876  built  a 
church  in  the  next  block  from  us  on  Marietta  street. 

We  built  our  next  church  on  Washington  street,  and  you  built  Trinity 
within  four  blocks  of  us,  and  after  years  of  thought  decided  you  were  not 
close  enough  to  us  and  moved  Trinity  within  three  blocks  of  us. 

Our  Third  Church  was  first  established  on  the  corner  of  Gray  and  Jones 
fvenue,  and  you  built  a  church  on  each  side  of  us,  each  within  four  blocks. 

Our  Fourth  Church  was  built  on  Chamberlain  street,  near  .Tackson.  You 
then  built  Grace  Church  within  half  a  mile  of  us. 

We  built  our  Fifth  Church  on  Georgia  avenue,  near  Capitol  avenue,  and 
you    built   a   mission   on    Capitol   avenue,   near  Georgia    avenue. 

Our  Seventh  Church  was  built  on  South  Pryor  street,  and  you  consoli- 
dated the  above  mentioned  mission  with  another  church  and  built  St.  Joha'a 
half  way  between  Georgia  Avenue  and  Pryor  Street  Churches. 


THE     GRANDFATHER'S    TALE  IS 

the  best  located  of  the  three,  the  best  equipped  of  the  three, 
the  best  manned  of  the  three,  the  richest  of  the  three,  with 
the  largest  student  body  of  the  three,  and  the  finest  build- 
ings of  the  three,  and  the  best  name  of  the  three  was  old 
Oglethorpe,  on  the  famous  Midway  Hill  in  the  suburbs  of 
Milledgeville,  the  then  capital  of  Georgia,  the  first  denomi- 
national college  or  university  for  men  between  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Pacific  oceans,  south  of  the  Virginia  line.  For  almost 
a  half  century  she  did  her  unparalleled  work  for  God  and 
the  church  and  the  state  until  the  great  war  came,  when 
dying  for  those  she  loved,  they  buried  her  beneath  the  gray 
ashes  of  fratricidal  strife. 

And  so  the  church  that  had  taught  the  others  how  to  give 
a  Christian  education  to  their  sons  came  to  sit  by  and  watch 
all  the  others  march  past  them.  To  Emory  the  Methodists 
added  Vanderbilt  and  Dallas  and  Trinity  and  Wofiford  and 
many  others.  To  Mercer  the  Baptists  added  Baylor,  of 
the  same  quality.  Came  tlie  Episcopalians  with  their  Uni- 
versity of  the  South,  at  Sewanee.  The  Cumberland  Presby- 
terians founded  their  University  at  Lebanon.  The  Presby- 
terians of  the  North  poured  their  millions  into  Princeton. 
Only  the  Southern  Presbyterians,  the  pioneers,  the  teachers, 
the    beginners    of    the    great    educational     movement     which 


Our  Sixth  Church  was  built  in  Inman  Park,  and  you,  bauliing  ou  out 
judgment,    built    within    three    olocks    of   us    again. 

We  abandoned  the  site  of  the  fourth  church  and  moved  to  Druid  Hills,  and 
you,  banking  on  our  judgment  as  good,  built  just  behind  us,  and  then  de- 
cided that,  as  we  had  acknowledged,  we  m.ide  a  mistake  in  selei-ting  a  site 
for  the  Fourth  Church,  that  you  had  also  made  a  mistake  in  placing  Grace 
Church,  and  sold  your  old  plant  and  moved  within  two  blocks  of  our  West- 
minster on  the  Boulevard,  and  you  are  now  building  a  church  ou  I'ouce  de 
Leon  avenue,  within  hailing  distance  of  our  North  Avenue  Cluirch. 

We  moved  our  Wallace  Church  from  the  old  location  to  a  new,  and  you 
bought  our  old  plant  for  Walker  Street  Methodist  Church. 

We  moved  our  Georgia  Avenue  Presbyteri.an  Church  to  a  new  location, 
and  you,  knowing  our  judgment  to  be  uuerriiig.  built  St.  I'auJ  within  three 
blocks   of   us. 

We  built  a  mission  on  Waldo  street,  and  you  l)ought  us  out  and  est.ib- 
lished  a  Methodist  Church  there,  with  some  of  us  Presbyterians  working 
with  you,  and  we  giving  you  rent  free  for  six  months. 

We  started  us  a  Presbyterian  Hospital,  and  you.  banking  on  our  judg- 
ment again,  built  you  a  MethodLst  Hospital. 

About  a  hundred   years   ago   we  started   a   college  for  boys   and   caWed   It 


16  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

founded  practically  all  of  them,  could  say  that  while  she 
had  tended  the  gardens  of  others,  her  own  garden  had  she 
not  kept. 

And  if  a  further  tinge  of  sadness  were  needed  to  the  story 
it  could  be  found  in  the  tumultuous  past  of  the  old  institu- 
tion through  which  she  had  safely  come,  and  in  the  probabil- 
ity that  had  she  loved  more  wisely  and  less  well  the  pros- 
perity and  growth  of  the  years  that  followed  the  civil  strife 
would  have  lifted  her  into  the  happy  lot  of  becoming  a  real 
Southern  Presbyterian  University. 

Historically  speaking,  Oglethorpe  perished  before  there 
was  a  Southern  Presbyterian  church.  My  father  has  often 
told  me  of  the  first  proposal  to  establish  a  University  for  the 
Southern  Church.  It  was  in  Augusta,  Ga.,  in  1861,  at  the 
time  of  our  first  General  Assembly.  A  conference  was  held 
there,  one  of  whose  members  was  the  immortal  B.  M.  Palmer 
and  another  the  illustrious  James  Henley  Thornwell,  look- 
ing toward  that  end.  Even  at  that  early  date  the  "city"  of 
Atlanta  was  suggested  as  a  suitable  location  for  such  an  en- 
terprise on  account  of  its  accumulating  advantages.  Noth- 
ing came  of  the  conference — nothing  tangible — but  some 
ideas  seem  to  follow  Plato's  law,  they  persist  until  they  have 
bodies  given  them.  It  had  long  been  a  theory  of  Dr.  Thorn- 
well,  well  known  to  all  who  have  read  his  works  carefully, 
that  Education  falls  rather  than  rises ;  percolates  rather  than 
vaporizes.  He  believed  that  a  system  of  education  should 
begin  from  the  top  with  a  university  rather  than  at  the  bot- 
tom with  a  high  school.     But  that  is  neither  here  nor  there. 

Since  that  memorable  conference  many   things  have  hap- 

Oglethorpe  College,  and  you,  banking  on  onr  judgment,  started  you  a  boys' 
college  and  called  It  Emory.  Our  college  died  during  the  Civil  War  on  ac- 
count of  our  young  men  going  to  tbe  front ;  but  you,  thinking  discretion  the 
better  part  of  valor,  kept  your  young  men  in  college,  and  it  survived.  We 
have  resurrected  our  Tniversity  and  are  building  on  a  large  scale  on  Peach- 
tree  street,  and  lo  and  behold!  you  have  begun  to  move  your  college  within 
calling  distance,  and,  again  banking  on  our  judgment,  you  are  building  Emory 
University  in  Druid  Hills,  and  on  as  large  a  scale  as  we  are  building. 

Respectfully  yours, 

A.    T.   BBLLINGRATH. 


0-B 


So 


IS 


2  s 


9  « 

«  fa 

g.2 


THE    GRANDFATHER'S    TALE  17 

pened.  The  greatest  war  in  our  history  said  "no"  to  its  plans 
and  prevented  a  successful  outcome  of  its  purposes.  After- 
ward came  Reconstruction  days*  with  their  added  horrors 
and  when  the  South  at  last  was  in  a  position  to  plan  again 
for  educational  advance,  Dr.  Thornwell  was  a  memory  and 
Dr.  Palmer  an  aged  man. 

Although  nearly  a  decade  has  passed  there  are  those  among 
us  who  remember  how  nearly  the  Southern  Church  came, 
once  again,  to  having  a  university  after  its  own  heart.  In- 
terestingly enough,  Atlanta  was  again  the  storm  center  of 
the  movement.  Something  had  been  said  about  the  con- 
solidation of  Clarksville  and  Columbia  Seminaries  and  it  soon 
grew  to  include  the  collegiate  part  of  the  Southwestern 
Presbyterian  University.  For  months  the  Synods  most  vi- 
tally concerned  were  agitated  over  the  question.  It  was 
voted  to  remove  Columbia,  easily  enough,  for  that  was  really 
only  a  going  home  (the  seminary  having  been  born  in  Geor- 
gia), but  when  it  came  to  removing  the  university  from 
Tennessee,  the  movement  met  its  death.  Atlanta  had  raised 
something  over  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  for  the  pros- 
pective institution  for  this  town  of  five  thousand  in  1861  had 
become  85,000  in  1900  and  had  acquired  the  spirit  of  an  un- 
bounded enthusiasm  and  the  purpose  of  a  man  who  begins 
to  see  a  glorious  destiny  before  him. 

*  It   was    during   this   time    (1870-72)    that   the   attempt   to   reopen   Oglethorpe 
in  Atlanta  was  made  and  after  a  few  sessions  abandoned. 


CHAPTER  II. 
Under  the  Urge. 

Strange  indeed  is  that  law  whereunder  the  Urge  of  God 
worketh  upon  the  heart  of  a  man.  As  I  look  back  into  the 
years  of  the  past  I  see  very  clearly  that  a  chapter  in  this 
story  was  written  in  a  tiny  village  of  South  Carolina  where 
the  orphans  live.  I  recall  that  the  story  of  my  dear  old 
grandfather  seemed  the  more  strange  to  me  because  of  what 
was  happening  all  around,  for  I  was  living  in  an  institution 
which,  to  my  childish  eyes,  seemed  to  point  a  way  to  her 
resurrection.  The  Thornwell  Orphanage,  as  our  world  knows, 
was  begun  with  fifty  cents,  in  a  bankrupt  land,  by  a  poverty- 
stricken  people.  Yet  each  morning  our  table  was  spread  be- 
fore us  in  the  presence  of  these  and  all  our  other  enemies. 
It  is  a  beautiful  thing  to  really  believe,  as  we  little  boys  and 
girls  who  lived  there  believed,  that  the  great,  vast  God  has 
so  shaped  his  providences  that  answers  follow  prayers.  To 
have  that  thought  walk  up  and  down  in  your  heart  a  great 
while  is  to  make  all  good  things  seem  possible.  So  the  story 
of  Thornwell  cast  a  strange  light  upon  the  story  of  Ogle- 
thorpe. And  to  the  little  boy  it  would  scarcely  have  seemed 
a  thing  incredible  that  such  a  school  should  rise  from  the 
dead. 

And  when  I  later  learned  who  the  ravens  were  who  fed 
us  the  Oglethorpe  story  seemed  stranger  still.  For  it  turned 
out  that  they  were  people,  just  ordinary  folks,  who  lived  in 
Georgia  and  Virginia  and  Alabama  and  Illinois  and  Texas. 
When  I  had  become  a  man,  I  went  in  and  out  among  some 
of  these  people  and  considered  more  closely  their  love  for 
the  orphan.  It  seemed  to  me  that  so  great  and  good  a  people 
must  love  their  own  sons  also  and  oh,  how  they  needed  Ogle- 
thorpe!    But  the  two  main  threads  of  this  chapter's  story 


UNDER    THE    URGE  19 

are  these  two  great  faiths :  in  those  who  had  fed  their  or- 
phaned children  and  in  Him  who  had  sent  them. 

Then  the  college  days  came  when  I  learned  of  Lanier  and 
LeConte  and  Woodrow.  Then  the  pastoral  days  when  I 
preached  in  the  little  church  where  the  great  Presbytery  had 
been  set  up.  And  then  days  and  months  and  years  where- 
in a  steady  purpose  was  being  formed. 

During  past  weeks  when  I  have  thought  of  writing  this 
story,  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  there  should  be  a 
paragraph  in  it  covering  the  five  years  during  which  I  lived 
in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  with  a  thorn  in  my  breast.  Ever 
there  was  before  me  the  need  and  ever  the  possibility  of 
supplying  it.  It  may  have  seemed  almost  an  obsession  to 
some.  To  me  it  had  become  the  Urge.  From  wondering  if 
it  could  be  done  I  came  to  questioning  how  it  could  be  done. 
The  General  Assembly  of  course  figured  more  often  then. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  they  must  see  it.  One  day  a  friend  to 
whom  I  was  talking  about  the  matter  remarked :  "When  God 
wants  a  thing  done,  He  first  makes  somebody  want  to  do 
it."  I  think  it  was  Dr.  W.  M.  Anderson,  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  in  Nashville,  who  said  it  and  the  thing  stuck  in  my 
memory.  When  the  summer  came  a  serious  illness  came 
with  it  to  remind  me  that  the  time  was  short.  When  I  was 
well,  we  sold  all  that  we  had  in  Nashville  and  moved  to 
Atlanta. 

For  Atlanta  was  the  place  where  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian University  should  rise.  Situated  in  the  foothills  of  the 
Blue  Ridge,  the  highest  large  city  east  of  Denver,  she  offered 
a  magnificent  college  climate.  Her  many  railway  systems  put 
her  in  convenient  touch  with  the  smallest  village  or  the 
largest  city  of  the  nation.  In  Georgia  alone  there  was  no 
Presbyterian  college  to  feel  her  umbrage  and  in  Atlanta  her- 
self, alone  among  cities  of  her  class,  there  was  no  classical 
college  for  men  to  divide  her  patronage.  Add  to  this  the  fact 
that  she  was  in  the  exact  numerical  center  of  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  church,  that  she  had  come  to  be  the  largest 
Presbyterian  city  in  the  Assembly,  that  she  had  once  evi- 


20  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

denced  her  interest  in  education  by  an  offer  of  a  quarter  mil- 
lion dollars  for  the  consolidation  movement  above  referred  to 
and  that  Old  Oglethorpe,  moved  from  Milledgeville  to  At- 
lanta, had  died  there,  and  there  remains  no  doubt  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  choice. 

It  was  my  plan,  having  made  Atlanta  my  home,  to  become 
associated  either  by  courtesy  or  purchase,  with  the  Presby- 
terian of  the  South,  at  that  time  an  Atlanta  publication ;  to 
begin  a  propaganda  that  would  stir  the  whole  church  into 
an  active  interest;  to  rely  upon  the  well-known  liberality  of 
Atlanta  for  the  local  bonus  of  $250,000;  and  finally  to  in- 
duce the  General  Assembly  to  undertake  the  work  of  build- 
a  capstone  to  their  educational  system.  The  appeal  should 
be  addressed  first  to  Georgia  and  when  the  local  backing 
was  solid,  to  the  church  at  large.  The  plan  was  launched  in 
the  issue  of  the  Presbyterian  of  the  South,  of  August  24, 
1910,  in  a  first  page  article  entitled:  "Shall  We  Irrigate  an 
Educational  Sahara?"  Its  effect  was  instantaneous.  Shortly 
after  that  article  was  published,  the  Presbytery  of  Paris, 
away  out  in  Texas,  overtured  the  General  Assembly  to  es- 
tablish such  a  school  and  to  locate  it  in  Atlanta.  The  public 
prints  had  it  that  way,  although,  I  understand,  the  last  sug- 
gestion was  later  abandoned  lest  it  might  seem  a  prejudic- 
ing of  location.  The  Synod  of  Georgia  heard  of  this  and 
promptly  seconded  the  motion.  Then  we  invited  Dr.  J.  I. 
Vance  to  come  down  to  address  the  great  Presbyterian  Jubi- 
lee in  Atlanta  one  November  and  he  suggested  to  the  5,000 
Presbyterians  assembled  there  that  our  fiftieth  anniversary 
could  in  no  way  be  more  fittingly  observed  than  in  putting 
our  long-craved  school  into  brick  and  mortar  here  in  this 
Georgia  city  where  the  conference  was  held  which  initiated 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  organization.  Months  passed  and 
in  the  hustle  of  preparation  for  the  General  Assembly  at 
Louisville  no  one  was  appointed  to  look  after  the  university 
in  its  councils.    No  one  went  up  to  champion  it. 

But  the  idea  defended  itself.    For  when  the  Committee  on 
Bills  and  Overtures  reported  adversely  on  the  overtures  of 


UNDER    THE    URGE  21 

the  Presbytery  of  Paris  and  Synod  of  Georgia,  a  former  Vir- 
ginian, now  a  Tarheel,  and  always  a  scholar  and  thinker,  in 
a  few  trenchant  words  led  the  Assembly  to  look  favorably  at 
the  idea  which,  born  with  it,  wished  to  live  with  it,  and  then 
and  there  a  committee  was  appointed  to  canvass  the  entire 
question  and  to  report  back  to  the  next  Assembly. 


CHAPTER  III. 
A  Marvelous  List. 

During  the  year  in  which  our  eyes  were  turned  with  hope 
and  prayer  to  this  special  committee  of  the  Assembly  we 
were  not  idle  in  Atlanta.  Mention  has  already  been  made 
of  the  Presbyterian  Jubilee  and  the  address  of  Dr.  Vance. 
This  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  annual  jubilees  in  which  all 
the  Presbyterian  churches  of  the  city  joined  on  one  Sabbath 
morning  of  each  year  and  held  a  great  union  service  in  the 
Auditorium  of  the  city.  The  Auditorium  was  filled  more  than 
once.  Among  the  speakers  who  addressed  these  gatherings 
were  Dr.  J.  I.  Vance,  Dr.  D.  J.  Burrell  and  Dr.  R.  E.  Speer. 
On  one  occasion  the  whole  Thornwell  Orphanage  was  brought 
over  and  entertained  by  the  Presbyterians  of  the  city.  In 
suggesting  these  gatherings  to  the  Presbyterian  Ministers' 
Association,  under  whose  auspices  they  were  conducted,  I 
had  in  mind  the  development  of  a  fine  esprit  de  corps  among 
the  denomination  in  the  city. 

For  Atlanta  was  a  graveyard  for  Presbyterian  institutions. 
At  that  very  hour  the  bones  of  her  latest,  the  Presbyterian 
Hospital,  lay  bleaching  upon  her  streets  with  no  one  to  cast 
a  coin  upon  her  that  she  might  be  buried  and  her  soul  depart 
in  peace.  One  of  our  first  acts  in  clearing  the  way  for  the 
coming  of  the  University  was  to  pay  the  debts  of  this  insti- 
tution and  save  the  good  name  of  the  church  that  had  fath- 
ered it.  This  was  done  under  the  leadership  of  such  young 
business  men  of  the  city  as  John  K.  Ottley,  James  Bachman 
and  Charles  D.  McKinney  and  a  dozen  others.  As  previously 
stated,  Oglethorpe,  after  having  died  at  Milledgeville,  had  been 
revived  in  Atlanta  during  the  terrible  struggle  of  Reconstruc- 
tion days  which  were  worse  than  the  war,  only  to  perish  again, 
there.  Donald  Eraser  Institute  had  once  flourished  in  Atlanta. 
The  Inman  Orphanage  had  succumbed  there.     And  the  South- 


A    MARVELOUS    LIST  22> 

ern  Presbyterian,  after  a  few  fitful  years  of  struggle,  had  con- 
solidated with  the  Central  and  Southwestern  Presbyterians 
and  was  about  to  move  away.  This  last  was  a  calamity  to  the 
new  movement  for  it  took  one  of  our  four  chief  hopes  away 
•n  an  hour  when  we  needed  them  all.  The  other  three 
were  the  ecclesiastical  organizations  of  Georgia,  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  church  and  certain  great  Presbyterian  lead- 
ers among  the  business  men  of  the  city  of  Atlanta. 

It  is  an  old  saying  that  those  who  look  for  providences 
will  have  providences  to  look  for,  but  I  think  that  one  of 
the  strangest  things  of  all  the  story  I  am  telling  you,  was 
the  way  in  which  every  one  of  these  four  great  hopes  failed. 
The  Presbyterian  went  away.  The  ecclesiastical  courts  of 
the  state  I  found  disheartened  on  account  of  the  preceding 
failures  to  such  an  extent  that  nothing  could  be  hoped  for 
there.  When  the  Presbyterian  Ministers'  Association  v/as 
appealed  to,  to  initiate  the  movement  they  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  confer  with  some  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the 
city  with  a  view  to  determining  its  feasibility.  The  result  of 
the  conference  as  reported  back  to  the  Association  was  that 
some  seventeen  men  met  with  them  and  that  there  were  some 
fifty-seven  varieties  of  opinions  and  that  the  whole  thing 
seemed  futile.  In  the  meantime,  I  had  gone  to  some  half  dozen 
of  the  really  great  Presbyterian  leaders  in  the  city,  men  of 
means  and  men  of  power.  I  had  been  told  that  without 
these  men,  nothing  could  be  done  in  Atlanta.  One  after  the 
other  they  had  said  "No"  to  my  plans.  Then  came  the  cli- 
max. I  learned  that  the  Special  Committee  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate 'the  subjeqt  and  report  to  the  next  Assembly  at 
Bristol  would  report  adversely  and  that  the  appeal  to  the 
great  General  Court  of  the  Church  would  be  in  vain.  Each 
of  these  four  blows  was  a  staggering  one.  Their  combined 
effect  was  paralyzing.  I  did  not  understand  them  then.  I 
do  now.  As  I  look  back  on  them  I  see  how  the  great  God 
was  so  arranging  His  plot  that  no  man  might  doubt  my 
word  when  I  testify  that  it  was  by  the  right  hand  of  God 


24  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

that  Oglethorpe   rose  from  the  dead.     Surely  I  know;  and 
surely  I  so  declare. 

If  he  must  needs  go  whom  the  devil  drives  how  shall  it 
be  with  him  upon  whom  the  Urge  of  God  is  set?  I  have 
before  me  as  I  write  the  first  issue  of  the  Westminster  Mag- 
azine, January  number,  1912.  On  the  first  editorial  page, 
at  the  head  of  the  first  column  are  these  words : 

Invocation. 

Father,  my  Author,  Thou  Ancient  Pen,  of  Thy  good  spirit, 
grant  me  this  my  prayer:  that  I  may  do  thy  will.  May  my 
pages  be  clean  and  pure  and  sweet,  wrought  out  in  the  fresh 
wisdom  of  thy  love.  May  my  words  ring  clear,  as  if  the 
Voice  were  finding  an  echo  in  them.  May  the  good  and  the 
true  and  the  beautiful  time  the  heart-beat  of  my  press.  For 
a  fine  purpose  fashion  me;  for  a  needed  work  fit  me;  to  the 
Thing  that  Must  be  Accomplished  point  me ;  but  lead  me 
not  up  thither,  my  Lord,  unless  Thou  dost  go  with  me.  O 
Hand,  who  writest  thy  will  upon  the  sheets  that  the  ages 
wring,  guide  thou  my  little  pen  that  it  may,  in  the  tiny  pic- 
tures it  draws  of  thee,  image  thy  Vast  Fine  Fingers  in  its 
ink  drop.  Forgive  my  black  blots  on  each  fair  page,  O  Mas- 
ter Pressman,  each  misplaced  line,  each  ill-spelled  word  of 
life,  and,  from  the  poisoned  ink-mass  of  my  soul  teach  Thou 
my  types  to  write  their  sentence  in  the  tale  of  earth  so 
clearly  that  many  may  catch  its  meaning  and  call  it  good. 
All  this  I  ask — ah,  and  one  thing  more — that  my  leaves  and 
my  labor  may  bear  the  imprint  of  thy  comradeship  and  may 
never  bring  it  down  to  disgrace. 

THE  WESTMINSTER. 

It  was  in  the  hope  that  the  General  Assembly  would  do 
this  great  thing  for  her  people  that  the  plan  on  which  Ogle- 
thorpe should  be  organized  was  born.  In  meditating  over 
the  matter  the  thought  occurred  to  me  once ;  what  if  some 
great  man  or  some  great  spirit  should  be  able  to  so  present 
the  matter  to  the  Assembly  that  each  of  the  two  hundred 
and  fifty  members  present  were  to  say:     "I  will  guarantee 


A    MARVELOUS    LIST  25 

that  my  church  will  give  one  thousand  dollars  or  more  to 
this  enterprise."  That  would  be  a  quarter  of  a  million  dol- 
lars, which,  combined  with  the  quarter  million  Atlanta  bonus, 
would  be  a  half  million  and  surely  the  church  at  large  would 
double  that  amount  not  to  speak  too  optimistically.  When 
the  news  came  that  the  committee  report  would  be  adverse 
the  next  thought  came.  Why  not  organize  a  great  Board 
of  Founders,  each  of  whom  should  represent  a  gift  of 
one  thousand  dollars  or  more  and  each  of  whom  should  be 
a  member  in  good  and  regular  standing  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Let  this  Assembly,  composed  of  our  best  ministers 
and  elders  and  deacons  and  private  members,  each  of  whom 
would  be  vitally  interested  in  his  institution,  control  the  in- 
stitution as  the  Ecclesiastical  Assembly  would  do  it  through 
an  executive  committee,  selected  from  among  themselves  and 
let  them  be  secured  by  the  simple  telling  of  the  need  and 
the  opportunity  from  the  pulpits  that  would  be  opened.  Then 
I  put  my  own  name  down  for  the  first  thousand  dollars  and 
started  to  work. 

I  look  with  a  gratitude  that  can  never  be  expressed  on  the 
list  of  names  which  I  have  before  me  here  as  I  write.  D.  I. 
Mclntyre  is  the  first,  a  man  neither  rich  nor  poor,  neither 
proud  nor  humble,  a  type  of  the  hopeful,  hard-working,  earn- 
est business  men  of  the  city  of  Atlanta.  From  that  day  to 
this  he  has  never  failed  to  do  his  part  for  Oglethorpe.  Sturm 
Carson  is  the  second ;  whole-hearted,  lovable,  generous. 
James  R.  Gray  is  third ;  one  of  the  most  masterful  men  with 
whom  I  have  ever  come  in  contact,  fair  in  all  his  fighting, 
a  slave  to  the  good  of  his  city,  ready  and  able  to  carry 
burdens  that  others  would  not  carry;  above  all,  a  man  with 
an  enacting  clause  in  his  constitution,  yet  generously  ready 
to  be  persuaded.  Wilmer  L.  Moore  is  fourth ;  a  son  of  the 
same  fine  spirit  of  his  father.  "Atlanta  can  never  be  a  com- 
plete city,"  he  said,  "until  it  supplies  the  human  family  with 
every  vital  need.  We  must  have  a  college  for  our  boys." 
Charles  D.  McKinney,  who  is  an  alumnus  of  old  Hampden- 
Sidney,  added  his  name  next.    McKinney  has  been  connected 


26  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

with  every  good  movement  in  Atlanta  since  he  came  here. 
Charles  D.  Montgomery,  enthusiastic  in  the  University  move- 
ment of  a  decade  ago,  was  the  eighth  man,  and  Ivan  Allen, 
brilliant  leader  and  clever  comrade,  was  the  next.  F.  W.  Cole- 
man was  found  to  be  as  much  interested  in  the  movement 
as  the  man  who  approached  him.  Lucian  Knight,  charac- 
teristically remarked  that  "if  old  Oglethorpe  University 
had  done  nothing  except  give  Sidney  Lanier  to  the  world,  it 
has  justified  every  dollar  spent  on  it."  "Would  I  give  a 
thousand  dollars  for  a  Presbyterian  college  in  Atlanta?"  ask- 
ed Frank  Inman;  "Well,  wouldn't  I."  John  K.  Ottley's  re- 
ply was  characteristic.  "Now,"  said  he,  "to  make  a  long  story 
short,  you  just  put  my  name  down."  He  is  our  treasurer, 
discontented  unless  he  is  doing  more  than  his  part ;  strong, 
generous,  true.  Of  course,  Mr.  Henry  A.  Inman  is  on  the 
board.  He  was  frankly  told  that  he  was  needed,  and  when- 
ever one  of  Mr.  Sam  Inman's  boys  feels  that  to  be  the  case, 
he  is  always  right  there.  Edgar  Watkins,  wise  counselor 
and  thoughtful  friend,  hardly  took  time  to  listen  to  the  plan 
before  he  said,  "Write  me  down."  Mr.  Watkins  is  Georgia- 
born,  and  had  recently  returned  to  his  native  state  from 
Houston,  Texas.  John  A.  Brice,  treasurer  of  the  Atlanta 
Journal,  added  his  name  with  the  remark  that  he  would  be 
ashamed  in  his  own  heart  not  to  have  a  hand  in  doing  such 
a  thing.  Mr.  E.  P.  McBumey  heard  the  story  while  he  was 
adding  up  a  column  of  figures,  and  before  he  had  finished, 
replied :  "Of  course,  I'm  in  that."  Dr.  T.  P.  Hinman,  chair- 
man of  the  hoard  of  deacons  of  the  North  Avenue  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  and  one  of  the  busiest  men  in  Atlanta,  never- 
theless found  time  to  join  his  brothers  in  this  great  deed  for 
the  old  church,  and  H.  D.  Green  of  Conyers,  will  represent 
that  live  community  and  church  on  the  board.  Then  Mr. 
George  E.  King  came  back  from  Florida,  where  he  had  been 
recuperating  from  a  recent  illness,  and  his  name  was  added. 
It  would  have  been  at  the  very  beginning  had  he  been  in  the 
city  at  the  time. 


A    MARVELOUS    LIST  27 

Now  we  come  to  one  of  the  most  remarkable  incidents 
in  this  whole  story.  On  Monday  morning,  March  11th,  the 
Presbyterian  Ministers'  Association  met  at  the  First  Church 
and  practically  every  Presbyterian  minister  in  the  city  was 
present.  At  the  close  of  their  session,  they  were  told  of 
the  progress  of  this  movement,  and  they  determined  then 
and  there,  to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  their  laymen 
in  sacrifice.  Everybody  knows  the  numberless  calls  upon 
ministers.  There  was  not  a  man  present,  who  was  not  loaded 
to  the  brim  with  promises.  Yet  they  subscribed  a  thousand 
dollars  which  we  believe  to  be  the  largest  offering  ever  made 
personally  by  a  Presbyterian  Ministers'  Association  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  Chapman  and  Hill  started  the  ball 
rolling,  and  then  Dr.  Ogden  said,  "Put  me  down  for  fifty 
dollars  a  year  for  five  years."  "The  same  for  me,"  said  Dr. 
Walker.  That  settled  the  matter.  The  other  men  made 
up  the  balance.  "I,"  said  Dr.  Young,  "am  probably  the  onl}'^ 
man  in  this  association  who  has  no  income,  yet  I  make  my 
subscription  to  this  cause."  That  was  the  spirit  that  moved 
these  men.  They  are  a  body  of  men  of  whom  the  Presby- 
terians of  Atlanta  have  every  cause  to  be  proud. 

Afterwards,  Mr.  J.  B.  Brooks,  an  elder  in  the  Inman  Park 
church,  added  his  name  to  the  list,  remarking  that  Agnes 
Scott  College  needed  a  mate.  The  next  day  Dr.  Milton  Arm- 
strong heard  about  it.  And  before  the  story  had  been  fin- 
ished, his  signature  was  on  the  paper.  He  was  the  first  At- 
lanta man  to  pay  his  $1,000  in  full.  Hugh  Richardson  was 
!next.  "What  size  is  it  going  to  be?"  he  asked.  "I  do  not 
want  to  go  into  anything  under  a  quarter  of  a  million."  Then 
he  looked  at  the  names  of  the  men  who  had  preceded  him. 
"This,"  said  he,  "means  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million." 
The  next  gentleman  to  be  interviewed  was  J.  Epps  Brown, 
vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Southern  Bell 
Telephone  Company.  With  a  dozen  visitors,  and  a  directors' 
meeting  on  hand,  he  nevertheless  took  time  to  listen,  and 
affixed  his  signature  with  the  remark,  "I  am  delighted  to 
go  into  this  thing."     One  man  accepted  over  the  telephone. 


28  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

It  was  Mr.  W.  D.  Manley.  As  an  illustration  of  the  prompt- 
ness of  the  Atlanta  business  man,  his  words  were  typical, 
"We  are  both  busy.  I  understand  your  proposition.  Put 
me  down."  Dr.  Phinizy  Calhoun  heard  probably  the  weak- 
est appeal  made  to  any  of  the  gentlemen.  In  fact,  the  ap- 
pelant was  ashamed  of  the  way  the  case  was  presente'd. 
There  were  too  many  people  waiting  in  the  doctor's  office 
to  make  it  easy.  But  he  got  the  same  answer.  "All  right, 
sir,  I  am  with  you."  W.  F.  Winecoff  said,  "It  is  the  one 
thing  to  do."  And  C.  R.  Winship  added,  "It's  the  thing  we've 
got  to  do."  "This,"  said  Dr.  Ai;bhibald  Smith,  "will  be  a 
magnificent  thing  for  our  city,  our  state  and  our  church." 
Mr.  Wm.  Bensel,  the  oldest  member,  had  recently  celebrated 
his  eightieth  birthday.  He  was  widely  known  as  a  builder  and 
contractor  and  became  the  chairman  of  the  Building  Committ- 
ee. It  would  take  a  book  to  say  what  I  should  like  to  say  of 
him.  Then  W.  A.  Neal,  Jr.,  eldest  son  of  a  fine  old  South 
Carolina  family,  was  added.  Five  minutes  with  E.  Rivers 
gave  another  dynamo  to  the  board. 

All  these  men  banded  together  to  do  this  thing  before  a 
single  church  outside  of  Atlanta  had  heard  the  story.  There 
were  others  who  were  seen  later.  Here  is  Custis  Anderson, 
relative  of  Lanier,  an  aid  and  inspiration  in  the  work.  Here 
also  is  Dr.  Cheston  King,  of  whom  only  justice  would  say  that 
as  chairman  of  a  canvassing  committee  which  led  all  others 
during  the  Atlanta  Campaign,  he  demonstrated  a  great  love 
for  a  great  cause  in  a  great  way.  Here  is  W.  F.  Parkhurst, 
the  man  who  has  put  up  so  brave  a  fight  against  such  over- 
whelming odds.  James  Bachman  is  here ;  did  he  not  say 
to  me  as  we  lunched  at  Durand's :  "I  would  not  put  that 
money  into  the  best  stock  in  Atlanta,  but  I  will  give  it  to 
Oglethorpe."  And  here  is  a  fascinatingly  interesting  group. 
Once  there  lived  in  Atlanta  three  Presbyterian  ministers, 
friends,  men  whom  the  whole  city  loved:  Drs.  Barnett, 
Strickler  and  Craig.  Having  served  their  generation,  they 
have  fallen  asleep.  Yet  still  there  live  in  Atlanta  three  Pres- 
byterian doctors,  friends,  men  whom  the  whole  city  loves : 


A    MARVELOUS    LIST  29 

Drs.  Barnett,  Strickler  and  Craig.  Their  names  are  where 
their  fathers  would  have  them  be.  side  by  side  on  the  Ogle- 
thorpe list.  One  day  I  went  to  see  a  man  of  whose  genero- 
sity I  had  heard  and  found  him  sitting  amid  the  charred  re- 
mains of  his  manufacturing  plant.  I  was  about  to  leave  when 
he  asked  me  whom  I  wished  to  see.  When  I  said  that  I  had 
wanted  to  see  him,  but  saw  now  that  my  visit  was  inopportune 
he  asked  me  on  what  mission  I  had  come.  Reluctantly,  I 
said:  "About  Oglethorpe."  "Sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about 
it,"  he  replied.  "I  want  to  give  you  a  thousand  dollars  for 
it."  That  was'  W.  O.  Steele,  who  on  that  day  did  that  heroic 
thing.  Then  one  day  Dr.  King  brought  T.  M.  Fincher  by 
the  office  and  saw  him  affix  his  signature  to  the  list,  and 
Gilham  Morrow  and  Porter  Langston  followed  with  theirs. 
J.  P.  Stevens  did  not  wait,  but  sent  his  gift  by  letter.  Dr. 
E.  G.  Jones,  who  had  himself  with  Dr.  W.  S.  Kendrick  built 
a  school  of  their  own  most  successfully,  were  next,  and  J.  F. 
Pickard  and  Wade  J.  Wright,  two  young  friends  and  brave 
workers  in  the  fight  for  a  Pryor  street  church,  followed. 
E.  P.  Ansley  said  he  would  be  the  one  hundredth  man.  He 
already  is.  Frank  G.  Lake  needed  no  urging.  Charles  J. 
Wachendorff  and  his  brother,  having  subscribed  their  thou- 
sand dollars,  handed  me  a  box  of  flowers  three  feet  long  to 
take  home  with  me  with  their  compliments.  Stewart  Mc- 
Ginty  and  W.  T.  Perkerson,  assistant  cashiers  at  the  Fourth 
National  Bank,  made  it  possible  to  say  that  every  officer  of 
that  bank  who  was  a  Presbyterian  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Founders  of  Oglethorpe,  for  John  K.  Ottley, 
vice  president,  and  J.  W.  English,  president,  were  also  on 
the  list.  That  brings  me  to  a  notable  group :  Sam  Inman, 
J.  W.  English,  R.  J.  Lowry,  Woods  White,  John  Eagan  and 
Hoke  Smith.  They  are  classed  together  because  they  were 
seen  late  on  the  list.  Of  some  of  these,  more  later.  Here  are 
three  young  men  of  whom  I  often  think — Edwin  Broyles, 
James  DuBose  and  D.  I.  Mclntyre,  Jr.  Broyles  is  the  young- 
est Atlanta  man  on  the  list,  DuBose  is  second  youngest, 
and  Mclntyre,  whose  father  was  the  first  man  asked, 
promised  to  be  the  two  hundredth,  and  he  is.     Below  them  are 


30  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

S.  O.  Vickers,  W,  E.  Floding  and  C.  V.  LeCraw,  and  with 
them  the  Atlanta  list  ends.  I  have  given  the  names  of  every 
one  of  them  because  each  of  them  is  a  brave  man  and  true 
and  deserves  the  grateful  remembrance  of  all  who  love  God 
and  the  State.  Each  of  them  promised  a  thousand  dollars 
to  Oglethorpe,  besides  their  time  and  labor. 

The  great  mass  of  all  of  this  work  had  been  done  when 
the  assembly  met  at  Bristol  and  the  report  of  the  Special 
Committee  was  received  and  adopted. 


CHAPTER  IV 

With  A  Broken  Sword. 

As  I  write  this  line  I  have  before  me  the  issue  of  the  West- 
minster Magazine  for  June,  1912.  Knowing  what  the  report 
was  to  be  to  the  Assembly,  work  had  already  begun  to  re- 
found  Oglethorpe,  as  described  above.  The  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  referred  to  below*  and  the  seventy-five  acres  of 
land  offered  the  Assembly  voluntarily  was  not  then  nor  has 
it  ever  since  been  offered  to  Oglethorpe.  The  editorial  in 
the  Westminster,  which  follows,*  does  not  even  intimate  the 


*  "One  year  ago,  in  answer  to  earnest  and  incessant  agitation  on  the  part 
of  those  who  knew  the  situation  fully,  the  (General  Assembly  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  take  into  consideration  the  advisability  of  establishing  a  great  Pres- 
byterian University  in  Atlanta. 

The  matter  has  been  up  before  our  Assembly  at  irregular  intervals  since 
its  first  meeting  in  Augusta  in  1861,  when  Drs.  Palmer  and  Thornwell  and 
others  would  have  seen  to  its  establishment  but  for  the  runious  days  that 
followed. 

The  committee  appointed  in  1911  states  that  it  did  not  have  a  meeting 
during  the  entire  year  of  its  life;  made  no  effort  to  see  what  Atlanta  would 
do,  and  last  week  reported  to  our  Assembly  that  no  interest  had  been  taken 
in  the  plan  and   recommended   that   the  Assembly  adopt  its   report. 

In  the  meantime  the  report  says  that  one  Atlanta  man,  whose  name  we  do 
not  know,  had  offered  $100,000  voluntarily. 

A  site  of  seventy-five  acres  had  also  been  offered. 

It  Is  needless  to  say  that  the  report  of  this  committee  has  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  the  re-establishment  of  Oglethorpe  University  in  Atlanta.  It  doeS 
not  mean  the  slightest  abatement  of  that  work  or  plan. 

It  simply  means  that  the  Southern  Assembly  faced  a  dire  need  and  a  gol- 
den opportunity  and  did  not  fill  the  one  or  recognize  the  other. 

We  have  heard  the  story  of  the  king's  son  who  was  sore  pressed  in  battle. 
The  struggle  was  hard  and  fierce  and  bloody.  Himself  disarmed,  he  was 
rushing  to  the  front  when  he  met  one  of  his  soldiers  fleeing,  panic  stricken,  to 
the   rear. 

"Why  do  you  flee?"  he  asked. 

"My  sword  is  broken !"  came  the  answer. 

"Give  it  to  me!"  cried  the  king's  son,  "I  will  win  the  battle  with  it." 

And  he  did. 

It  was   called  a   broken   sword — that  hundred   thousand   dollars — but — 

We  could  win  the  battle  with  it. 

And  maybe  we  shall.    God  is  good  and  so  are  his  sons. 

And  this  son  lives  in  Atlanta. 

In  Atlanta  they  win  victories  with   broken   swords." 


32  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

depth  of  regret  felt  in  Atlanta  over  the  action  of  the  As- 
sembly.   It  seemed  to  them  "an  assassination  of  opportunity." 

Whistling  really  is  a  great  thing  to  help  one  keep  up  his 
courage.     It  is  a  form  of  faith. 

A  friend  of  mine  met  me  one  day  in  Atlanta.  "I  under- 
stand you  are  going  to  start  a  University  here,"  he  said. 
"Yes,"  I  answered,  "we  are."  "How^  much  have  you  raised?" 
he  questioned.  "We  have  some  twenty-five  men,"  I  replied, 
"each  of  whom  has  promised  to  give  a  thousand  dollars  to 
the  enterprise."  "Going  to  start  a  University  on  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars?"  he  laughed.  "No,"  I  answered,  "we  start- 
ed it  on  one  thousand  dollars."  "You  have  done  well  in  At- 
lanta," he  consoled,  "but  wait  until  you  get  outside.  Then 
you'll  meet  your  icebergs." 

I  tell  that  story  in  order  to  illustrate  a  secret  that  I  have 
learned.  What  the  world  needs  is  hopeful  leadership,  not 
questioning  debate.  When  my  friend  Charles  P.  Glover  learn- 
ed of  the  nature  and  result  of  the  business  men's  conference, 
called  to  consider  the  advisability  of  founding  a  university 
in  Atlanta,  and  the  fifty-seven  varieties  of  opinions  developed, 
he  said  that  from  the  way  the  thing  was  going,  it  was  a 
wonder  there  were  so  few.  His  thought  was :  when  you  want 
a  thing  done  and  know  it  ought  to  be  done,  do  not  ask  peo- 
ple to  discuss  the  advisability  of  it,  ask  them  to  help  do  it. 

And  to  that  I  add  this :  believe  in  folks.  While  I  was  se- 
curing the  names  of  the  Atlanta  men  above  recounted,  I 
used  often  to  have  to  tell  how  surely  the  people  of  Georgia 
and  outside  of  Georgia  would  do  their  part  to  found  Ogle- 
thorpe. It  strengthened  even  Atlanta  hearts  to  hear  it. 
When  I  went  out  into  the  state  later  to  secure  men  from  out- 
side of  Atlanta,  I  used  often  to  have  to  insist  that  Atlanta 
would  give  her  local  bonus  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  for  the 
location  of  the  institution  there.  The  Georgians  believed  it 
and  were  not  afraid  to  undertake  their  share.  I  have  at 
least  seen  faith  remove  icebergs. 

With  this  paragraph  we  are  launched  fairly  into  the  tell- 
ing of  what  I  believe  to  be  one  of  the  most  remarkable  stories 
of  an  educational  sort  that  has  ever  been  told  by  any  writer 
in  the  world. 


CHAPTER  V. 

On    Ravens*    Wings. 

We  hear  the  wings  of  the  ravens  again  and  our  minds  go 
back  to  the  orphans  at  Thornwell.  Among  them  is  a  bright 
little  Georgia  boy  fresh  from  the  selling  of  newspapers  in 
Atlanta.  Year  by  year  he  grows  into  manhood,  into  the  min- 
istry and  then  he  becomes  the  pastor  of  the  Church  at  Mil- 
ledgeville^,  where  Oglethorpe  was  and  was  not.     To    him    I 


(2)    FROM    THE   HOME    TOWN— THE    BIRTHPLACE. 

We  are  just  back  from  a  most  Interesting  and  remarkable  trip  to  Mil- 
ledeevllle.  Being  forewarned  to  buy  a  return  ticket,  under  the  advice  of 
many  friends  we  got  home  safe.  But  the  reception  recorded  us.  and  especially 
the  cause  that  we  represented,  was  so  fine  and  generous  that  it  was  hard  to 
come  back  home,  even  to  Atlanta.  We  went  down  to  tell  the  people  of  Mil- 
ledgeville  about  the  movement  to  re-establish  old  Oglethorpe  University.  Mil- 
iedgeville  was  the  site  of  the  old  institution,  which  was  situated  about  two  and 
one-half  miles  from  the  heart  of  the  town  on  Midway  Hill.  We  found  that 
the  old  building  had  long  been  torn  down,  but  Thalian  Hall  is  still  stand- 
ing, as  is  also  the  president's  home,  which  was  occupied  by  the  family  of 
Dr.  Talmage  for  thirty  years,  and  for  many  years  afterward  by  his  widow. 
It  was  in  Thalian  Hall  that  Sidney  Lanier  roomed,  and  he  took  his  meals 
In  a  house  that  is  still  standing,  now  occupied  by  a  Mrs.  Cook.  We  had  the 
jdeasure  of  meeting  a  fine  old  lady,  a  Mrs.  Robson,  who  was  the  daughter  of 
Dr.  R.  C.  Smith.  Dr.  Smith  was  the  professor  of  mental  and  moral  philosophy 
fit  Oglethorpe,  and  we  found  that  Mrs.  Robson  was  full  of  reminiscences  of 
folks  who  used  to  live  on  Midway  Hill.  She  told  us  that  she  had  rocked 
Woodrow  Wilson  to  sleep  in  his  cradle  many  times.  Woodrow  Wilson  was  a 
nephew  of  Dr.  James  Woodrow,  who  was  at  that  time  a  professor  at  Ogle- 
thorpe. We  found  also  that  Sidney  Lanier  was  very  fond  of  her  when  she 
was  a  girl,  and  she  told  us  many  interesting  things  about  Georgia's  greatest 
poet — am»ng  others,  that  he  never  kept  his  shoes  tied,  and  that  he  had  a 
wealth  of  long  hair,  which  usually  came  down  to  his  shoulders.  He  was 
universally  beloved  among  the  students,  and  graduated  with  first  honor  in 
his  class.  One  of  the  most  interesting  things  we  heard  about  him  was  that 
in  the  evening  he  would  often  go  up  into  the  belfry  of  the  main  building, 
which  overlooked  Milledgeville,  and  on  a  still  summer  evening  his  flute  couid 
be  heard  distinctly  in  that  city,  where  he  is  still  remembered  for  his  love  of 
music. 

What  gratified  us  most  of  all  was  the  magnificent  support  that  Milledge- 
ville gives  to  the  movement  to  reopen  Oglethorpe,  though  we  might  have 
known  that  a  people  who  h.id  loved  their  old  institution  at  Midway  would 
he  found  on  the  right  si<le  in  this  matter.  Although  the  Presbyterian  Church 
there  numbers  little  more  than  two  hundred,  they  have  pledged  .$2,000  to 
the  re-establishment  of  the    rniversity.     Mr.  W.   S.   Myrick,   one  of  the   most 


34  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

turned,  knowing-  him  to  be  a  believer  in  all  good  things  as 
well  as  a  brilliant  defender  of  any  just  cause  and  asked  that 
I  might  have  the  privilege  of  visiting  his  church  to  tell  and 
to  learn  of  Oglethorpe.  On  April  21st,  1912,  on  a  Sabbath 
whereon  it  rained  as  it  had  not  since  the  days  of  Tsitnapishtim, 
I  met  with  the  tiny  band  who  came  to  attend.  John  Harris 
was  there,  I  remember,  an  old  orphanage  playmate  ;  and  Dr. 
Gaertner,  of  whom  more  later ;  a  young  deacon  ready  to 
usher  in  those  who  were  or  were  not  there ;  an  elder ;  one 
or  two  good  women  and  a  child  or  two.  To  such  an  audi- 
ence the  Oglethorpe  story  was  first  publicly  told,  it  was 
Dr.  Brannen's  own  remark  as  we  trudged  to  the  church: 
"The  Lord's  weather  never  interferes  with  the  Lord's  work." 
It  did  not.  The  psychological  atmosphere  was  also  surcharg- 
ed. Riding  Saturday  afternoon  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Brannen, 
I  saw  a  river  in  the  distance  and  asked  the  name.  Now 
Oglethorpe  had  been  moved  from  Milledgeville,  so  had  the 
State  Capitol,  so  had  many  other  things.  So  Mrs.  Brannen 
remarked  in  a  stage  whisper,  "That's  the  Oconee,  but  don't 
tell  anybody  in  Atlanta,  for  we  want  to  keep  the  river." 

When  the  session  met  they  subscribed  a  thousand  dollars 
to  put  one  of  their  number  on  the  Board  of  Founders  and 
later  chose  Dr.  Gaertner  to  represent  them.     Then  the  young 


influential  and  progressive  business  men  in  middle  Georgia,  accepts  a  seat  on 
the  Board  of  Founders,  and  pledges  Sl.OfK)  to  the  institution.  In  .iddition  to 
this,  the  session  of  the  church  of  which  Dr.  D.  W.  Brannen  is  pastor  pledges 
$1,000  for  their  people  and  will  elect  a  representative  to  the  board.  In  pro- 
portion to  their  membershiij,  they  have  eriualled  Atlanta  in  liberality,  and. 
we  had  almost  said,  excelled  her  in  magnanimity,  for  it  must  be  remembered 
that  Milledgeville  had  old  Oglethorpe,  and  that  it  was  moved  to  Atlanta, 
Just  as  she  had  the  Capitol,  which  was  moved  to  Atlanta;  in  fact,  we  asked  a 
lady  of  the  city  what  was  the  name  of  a  river  we  saw  there,  and  she  an- 
swered, "That  is  the  Oconee,  but  please  don't  tell  Atlanta ;  we  want  to  keep 
that." 

Now  that  Milledgeville  has  equalled  Atlanta  in  her  proportion  of  Founders 
although  our  city  supplied  lifty,  she  is  laying  plans  to  beat  Atlanta  in 
her  own  game,  for  there  are  those  in  Milledgeville  who  believe  that  that  town 
will  add  two  more.  By  the  way,  they  are  planning  to  have  a  "reunion  of  all 
the  living  graduates  at  Milledgeville  on  May  10th  immediately  following  the 
Confederate  Reunion  at  Macon.  Imagine  the  dramatic  significance  of  the 
hour  when  they  part  to  meet  again  at  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the 
h'st  iiuilding  on  the  Oglethorpe  campua  in  Atlanta. 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  35 

deacon  shook  my  hand.  "Could  I  pay  that  thousand  dollars 
one  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  ten  years?"  he  asked.  "Why, 
Mr.  Myrick,  you  don't  mean  to  tell  me  you  are  going  to 
give  a  thousand  dollars !"  I  exclaimed.  "Yes,"  he  answered, 
"I  am.  I  have  a  little  boy  at  home  and  some  day  he  will 
go  to  the  University,  and,  do  you  know,  I  would  just  love 
for  him  to  go  to  an  institution  that  his  daddy  helped  to 
found !" 

Theodore  Roosevelt  says  that  when  you  see  a  strong  man 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  you  had  better  look  out,  for  something 
is  about  to  happen.  That  was  what  I  saw  in  Marietta  when 
James  T.  Anderson  came  up  to  me  after  the  service  and 
added  his  name  to  the  list.  Thomas  L.  Wallace  followed  him. 
This  was  the  second  time  the  story  had  been  publicly  told, 
in  the  early  days  when  it  took  faith  as  well  as  generosity 
to  join  the  movement.  I  hold  Dr.  J.  H.  Patton,  their  pas- 
tor, in  grateful  remembrance  for  it  was  he  who  invited  me 
to  come.     He  has  ever  been  a  friend  of  the  good  cause. 

Third  came  Valdosta^,  when  the  pastor,  Dr.  Bitzer,  had  to 


(a)    »GL,KTHOKPE'S    GREATEST    GRADUATE. 

An  Appreciation  of  the  Well  Known  Georgia  Poet  As  One  of  His  College  Mates 

at  the  Old  Oglethorpe  University,  Near  Milled geville.  Remembers  Him. 

Ity   Major  J.   O.   Varnedoe. 

It  was  In  the  early  part  of  .Taniiary,  18r>S,  when  a  callow  youth  of  fifteea 
years,  having  just  matriculated  at  Oglethorpe  University,  I  was  met  by  a 
student,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  previously  made.  He  Invited  me  to  his 
dormitory  to  hear  some  music.  The  invitation  was  gratefully  accepted  and 
sineorely  appreciated.  There  1  met,  for  the  first  time,  Sidney  Lanier,  who 
was  my  friend's  roommate.  These  two  then  delighted  me  with  the  most  en- 
trancing music  I  had  ever  heard  of  that  kind — Lanier  with  the  flute  and 
LeConte  with   the  guitar. 

I  was  at  once  impressed  with  Lanier's  personality.  Apart  from  the  cul- 
ture and  moral  refinement,  which  his  face  and  manner  indicated,  there  was  a 
quiet  dignity  strangely  unusual  in  one  of  his  years.  This  first  impression 
was  never  dissipated  by  a  more  intimate  acquaintance.  His  calmness  of  de 
meanor  did  not  amount  to  austerity.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  always  polite 
and  affable,  though  never  seeking  promiscuous  companionship,  nor  courtin,'^ 
popularity.  His  hair,  parted  on  one  side,  was  always  brushed  back  behind 
his  ears.  His  clothes  were  of  good  quality,  always  neat  but  never  ostenta- 
tious. He  en rried  himself  easily  and  natur.iHy,  with  just  a  suggestion  of  stoop 
in  his  shoulders.  His  gait  was  usually  brisk.  He  showed  no  (aste  fur  .-ith- 
letlcs — was  seldom  seen  at  the  gymnasium.  Music  and  books  were  his  dear- 
est companions.  He  did  not  confine  himself  to  his  text  books,  l»ut  read 
oxteasively.  The  knowledge  gained  from  these  sounes  w;is  reflected  in  the 
piquancy  of  the  essays  he  was  required  to  prepare  and  read   before  his  class, 


36  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

be  away  and  after  the  service  when  I  had  asked  any  one 
who  was  interested  to  stay  and  speak  with  me  and  the  whole 
congreg-ation  passed  silently  out  of  the  front  door.  But  later 
I   met  a  kindly  white-haired   gentleman.     "That   was  pretty 

ss  well  as  the  addresses  he  delivered  before  the  student  body  and  the  public. 
"The  Philosophy  of  History"  I  recall  as  the  subject  of  his  Junior  address.  He 
was  at  that  time  only  sixteen  years  of  age.  His  effort  evinced  thought  and 
research  far  beyond  his  years.  He  was  not  conspicuous  as  a  debater, 
and  yet  what  he  attempted  was  always  good  and  creditable.  Among  ladies 
his  manner  was  easy  and  faultless;  but  he  was  not  what  the  students  called 
a  lady's  man.  While  uniformly  dignified,  he  would  exhibit  at  times  a  jauuti- 
ness  in  singular  contrast  with  his  habit. 

With  companions  of  his  choice  he  was  jolly  and  bright,  enjoying  a  joke 
thoroughly  and  participating  in  friendly  repartees.  On  one  occasion,  while 
engaging  in  this  pastime  he  was  misunderstood  by  one  of  the  students,  to 
whom  he  was  addressing  his  remarks,  who  denounced  him  as  a  liar.  Lanier 
immediately  struck  him,  and  the  student  in  turn  pulled  his  knife  and  stabbed 
him  in  the  left  side.  Upon  investigation  by  the  surgeon,  who  was  summoned, 
the  wound  was  found  to  extend  only  an  inch  in  his  body.  In  about  two 
weeks  he  was  able  to  resume  his  studies 

About  this  time,  or  shortly  thereafter,  Lanier  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  his  parents  were  members.  While  not  conspicuously  active 
ae  a  church  member,  he  was  carefully  obsei-vant  of  the  vows  he  had  assumed 
and  his  conduct  was  beyond  reproach.  Lanier  never  participated  in  any  of 
the  pranks  indulged  in  by  some  students ;  nor  was  he  addicted  to  any  of 
their  vices. 

Finding  he  was  about  to  graduate  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  his  father 
removed  him  from  college  after  his  junior  year,  and  secui'ed  for  him  a  posi- 
tion in  the  postoflfice  at  Macon,  where  he  served  as  a  clerk  for  one  year. 
He  then  returned  to  college,  and,  uniting  with  the  class  that  was  below  him 
when  he  left,  shared  at  graduation   the  first  honor  of  his  class. 

Immediately  upon  graduation,  Lanier  was  elected  by  the  trustees  to  the 
position  of  tutor,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  ability  and  dig- 
nity, until  the  exercises  of  the  college  were  suspended  by  reason  of  the  im- 
pending war.  * 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that,  up  to-  this  time,  no  hint  was  given  of  the 
presence  of  the  poetic  fires  that  must  have  been  smouldering  in  his  soul.  Of 
his  devotion  to  music,  his  fondness  for  letters  and  his  diligence  along  all 
lines  of  research,  together  with  his  high  character  and  attractive  person- 
ality,  he  had  furnished   ample  evidence. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  we  find  him  polite  without  affectation ;  cultured 
without  ostentation;  kind  without  pretension;  poised  without  undue  stiffness; 
conscious  of  his  splendid  gifts,  yet  modest  withal.  These  were  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  boy,  and  they  became  more  pronounced  in  the  development  of 
his  wonderful  career.  He  advanced  imperially,  though  not  arrogantly,  to 
the  first  place  in  his  class,  aud  maintained  it  with  royal  mien.  He  extorted 
the  tribute  of  admiration  without  kindling  the  venom  of  jealousy.  Shams 
ho  despised.  One  of  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  genius  is  the 
presence  of  ambition.  Lanier  sought  to  excel.  He  was  a  student.  He  rec- 
ognized the  fact  that  wealth  of  gifts  furnishes  no  royal  pathway  to  knowl- 
edge. Conscience  also,  as  well  as  ambition,  impelled  him  to  diligence.  While 
rordial   to   all,   he   had   few   associates;   and   they    were   chiefly    of   those   whose 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  37 

bad,"  he  said.  "Yes,"  I  answered,  "it  was  my  first  failure." 
"It  is  not  a  poor  church,"  he  continued^  "nor  a  stingy  one." 
"No,"  I  repHed,  "I  am  sure  that  you  are  correct  there."  "I 
noticed  you  mentioned  Sidney  Lanier."  he  queried.     "Do  you 

musical  bias  attracted  bis  compauiouship.  Music,  rather  than  intellectual 
affinity,  was  tbe  potent  influence  that  determined  the  choice  of  his  comrades. 
Learn  from  this  how  completely  this  overmastering  passion  held  him  thrall, 
and  forced  him,  in  after  life,  to  forsake  all  other  pursuits,  and  over  the  pro- 
test of  his  friends,  follow  the  beckoninu;s  of  his  predilec-tlou.  What  ajfony  he 
must  have  endured  from  the  contention  of  opposing  forces — the  clamorous 
pleadings  of  this  passion  on  the  one  baud,  and  tbe  insistent  demands  of  en- 
vironment, on  the  other  I  When  be  returned  from  a  P'ederal  prison,  whither 
he  had  been  taken  as  a  jjrisoner  of  war,  broken  in  health,  and  stripped  of 
all  means  of  support,  the  exigency  of  the  moment  compelled  him  to  engage 
in  distasteful  pursuits.  He  passed  successively  from  a  clerkship  to  the  school- 
loom,  and  thence  to  a  law  office;  but  the  atmosphere  of  these  vocations  he 
found  not  only  uncongenial  but  positively  stifling.  It  is  well  for  America 
and  tbe  world,  that  at  this  juncture  he  detiert  all  opposition,  and  chose  a 
vocation  in  which,  by  bis  splendid  gifts,  he  sweetened  and  gladdened  the 
lives  of  men.  It  was  given  to  him  to  see  things  that  were  often  hidden  from 
the  vision  of  others.  He  could  detect  music  in  sounds  that  were  not  audible 
to  the  common  ear.  Through  an  alchemy  unknown  to  the  less  gifted,  he 
could  extract  honey  from  dry  bones,  and  feast  himself  upon  morsels  most 
delicious,  of  his  own  creation.  The  same  breeze  that  brought  nectar  to  his 
sore  lungs  filled  bis  sensitive  eai  with  the  music  of  cat  birds,  or  the  song 
of  the  lark.  The  sighing  of  the  pines  or  the  rustling  of  the  marshes  fell 
upon  bis  ear  like  a  mother's  lullaby.  Xor  was  be  dependent  upon  Nature's 
lavish  gifts,  wherewith  to  nourish  bis  soul  with  entrancing  delights.  His 
own  creative  imagination  could  provide  soul-feasts,  the  exhilirating  effects 
of  which  would  often  leave  bis  body  exhausted  by  the  very  thrill  of  joys, 
scarcely  less  than  supernal. 

Were  he  on  a  desert  isle,  be  could  feast  his  vision   upon  gardens  of  roses, 
surmounted    upon    the  grandest    mountain.      What    others    passed    by    unheeded 
he  clothed   with  attractive   robes,   and    they    at   once    became    things   of   beauty 
and  delight  to  bis  poetic  vision.     He  ex'torted  tribute  from  all  objects  and   all 
conditions — No,    not    all — war,    strife,    hatred — he    turned    from    these    with    a 
horror  akin  to  that  with  which  one  regards  a   pest  bouse. 
"His  life  was  gentle,  and   the  elements 
So  mixed  in   him  that  Nature  might  stand   up 
And  say  to  all  the  world.  This  was  a   man." 
There  was  in   him,  to  use  his  own  words,  no  "barbaric  grab  of  the  senses 
at  whatever  there  is  of  sensual  good  in   tbe  world." 

His  life  was  pitched  on  a  plane  too  lofty  to  find  satisfaction  in  the  gross 
and  grovelling — these  he  spurns,  and  voices  bis  conception  of  life  in  tbe  beau- 
tiful  song   of   tbe   Chattahoochee — 

"I   am  fain   for   to  water   tbe   plain. 
Downward    tbe    voices    of    Duty    call; 
Downward,  to  toil  and  be  mixed  with  the  main." 
His    religious   views,    in    sjiupatby    with    bis    mental    habits,    refused    to    be 
interested    in    tbe    stereotyped    forms    of    orthodoxy.      He    invented    for    them 
simpler    moulds,    as    when    writing    to    bis    wife,    he    makes    this    statement: 
"Christ  gathered   up   tbe   Ten    Commandments,    and    redistilled    into   the   clear 


38  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

take  him  to  be  a  good  poet?"  '*One  of  the  first  seven,"  I 
answered.  "Old  Sid,"  he  mused,  "well,  we  always  expected 
something  of  him,  but  who  ever  would  have  thought  that  he 
would  become  a   Longfellow?     He   was   my   college   mate," 


liquid  of  that  woudioii.s  Kitvfcuth,  Love  God  utterly  aud  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself."  Forms  were  nothing  to  him  but  the  vehicles  of  devotion,  love 
and    worship. 

Here  we  have  a  combination  of  genius  aud  probity — of  purity  and  strong 
mentality — the  subordination  of  every  faculty  to  the  high  claims  of  truth 
and  virtue;  and  all  of  his  splendid  gifts  of  mind  held  in  leash  at  their 
bidding.  Beneath  the  generous  soil  that  produced  such  a  life,  there  must 
have  been  a  rich  substratum  of  Christian  virtue  which  was  responsible  for 
the  moral  and  religious  bent,  evidenced  in  all  of  his  writings,  and  made 
conspicuous  in  his  private  life.  It  he  suffered  more  than  others  by  reason 
of  his  sensitive  nature,  and  the  wearing  disease  that  so  early  fastened  itself 
upon  him;  by  the  same  token,  he  felt  thrills  of  joy  seldom  known  to  mor- 
tals. This  is  one  of  the  compensations  generous  Nature  extends  to  all  of 
the  afflicted  sons  of  earth.  His  love  for  his  wife  was  beautiful  beyond 
compare,  and  in  triumphant  contrast  with  the  simply  tolerant  estate,  that 
80  often  marks  that  holy  relai'ionship.  His  song — "My  Springs" — is  no  less 
a  tribute  to  his  heart  than  to  the  charming  eyes  of  his  wife.  He  reaches 
the  climax  in  that  song  in  the  last  two  lines,  where  he  says: 
"I  marvel  that  God  made  you  mine, 
For  when  He  frowns,  'tis  then  ye  shine." 

With  a  body  often  tortured  with  pain,  and  unceasingly  depressed  by  a 
relentless  disease,  there  was  superadded  ofttimes  the  harrying  consequences 
of  poverty.  Yet,  in  these  despites,  his  wife  was  never  forgotten.  When 
separated  from  his  companionship,  as  was  often  the  case,  she  was  reg- 
ularly the  recipient  of  messages  of  tenderest  love  and  encouragement. 

As  has  been  suggested,  music  became  to  him  a  passion,  and  held  him 
enthralled,  as  a  charmer  holds  his  victim.  To  him,  music  had  a  language, 
passionate,  pure  and  sweet,  which  none  could  interpret  better  and  which 
he  constantly  employed  as  a  vehicle  for  his  thoughts,  his  aspirations,  his 
hopes,  his  fears,  and  his  emotions.  To  ears  prosaic  that  language  is  un- 
intelligible, but  to  him  it  was  as  luminous  and  sweet  as  an  angelic  whis- 
per. In  fact,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  trace  its  origin  to  Divinity;  as  when 
he  writes:     "Music   means   harmony,   harmony   means  love,   and   love — is  God." 

It  has  been  suggested  that  his  poetic  genius  was  the  offspring  of  this 
passion  for  music  that  so  held  his  soul  in  vassalage.  However  this  may 
be,  certain  it  is  that  the  inter-blending  of  these  superb  gifts  gave  a  char- 
acter unique  to  the  exercise  of  either.  The  critics  have  attempted  to  dis- 
parage Lanier,  by  comparing  him  with  Whittier,  Longfellow  and  others. 
Such  comparisons  are  not  only  odious  but  unjust.  Lanier's  genius  blazed 
its  own  way,  and  compelled  him  to  ignore  the  technique  observed  by  his 
predecessors  and  contemporaries.  It  has  been  claimed  for  his  contem- 
poraries and  others,  that  they  were  the  poets  of  the  people ;  Lanier  was 
the  poet  of  poets.  His  genius  scorned  beaten  tracks.  Others  may  follow, 
but  he  must  choose  paths  of  his  own  creation.  For  this  reason,  time  alone 
can  Jtistly  fix  his  plnce  in  the  galaxy  of  poets.  Let  us  not  forget  that 
that  genius  of  war — Napoleon,  discarded  all  established  rules,  and  by  that 
token,  won   his  brilliant  victories.     It  is  noticeable  that,   while  carping  criticB 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  39 

he  added.  "Do  not  worry  about  that  thousand  dollars.  I 
will  attend  to  that."  It  was  J.  O.  Varnedoe,  who  was  speak- 
ing, and  they  made  it  over  a  thousand.  Twelve  men  in  Val- 
dosta  gave  a  hundred  dollars  each  and  put  Major  Varnedoe 
on  the  board  to  represent  them. 

And  here  is  Rome.  Julian  Gumming  and  B.  1.  Hughes  each 
gave  their  thousand,  and  Dr.  G.  G.  Sydnor,  their  pastor,  was 
later  added  to  the  board  by  a  group  of  Roman  givers.  It 
only  adds  to  the  praise  of  it  to  say  that  everyl)ody  expected 
it  of  them. 

I  recall  the  day  at  Griffin*,  where  a  total  membership  of 
a  hundred  gave  over  three  thousand  dollars  to  Oglethorpe. 
That  was  how  Brawner,  McDowell  and  Hammond  were  added 
to  the  list.  Also  Decatur,  represented  by  Mr.  Chas.  D.  McKin- 
ney  on  the  Board.     And  then  Elberton.^     I  can  see  Dr.  Stacy 

are  endeavoring  to  rob  him  of  his  well-earned  repute,  time  is  weaving  a 
chaplet  of  imperishable  renown,  wherewith  to  crown  him.  His  poems  have 
already  been  adopted  as  a  text  book  in  some  of  the  educational  institntious 
of  England.  His  supremacy  as  a  musician  is  unchallenged,  and  his  pri- 
macy among  American  poets  is  being  more  firmly  established,  as  the  years 
go  by.  His  sciutillant  genius  will  radiate  with  increasing  sheen  adowu  the 
corridors   of  time. 

Gifted  son  of  Georgia,  Poet,  Musician.  Comrade!  hail  and  farewell,  "Until 
the  day   dawn   and   the  shadows   flee  away." 


(4)   GRIFFIN  PRESBYTERIANS  BREAK  RECORD  IN  GIVING. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Griffin,  has  broken  the  state  record 
for  giving,  in  the  widespread  canvass  now  being  waged  in  the  interest  of 
the  Oglethorpe  University,  which  the  Presbyterians  of  the  state  propose 
to  establish  in  Atlanta.  With  a  membership  numbering  only  139,  this  local 
body  of  loyal  Presbyterians  contributed  $3,000  to  the  fund  being  pledsred 
by  the  denomination  for  the  proposed  great  educational  institution.  This 
amount  will  entitle  the  ohurch  to  three  Founders  on  the  university  honrd. 

This  creditable  achievement  was  recorded  at  the  Sunday  morning  s<^rvi'-e 
of  the  First  church,  when  the  congregation  was  addressed  by  Rev.  Thorn - 
well  .Jacobs,  of  Atlanta,  one  of  the  leading  factors  of  the  univeisity  move- 
ment. The  Atlanta  minister's  appeal  for  aid  was  quite  eloquent  and  force- 
ful, and.  as  stated  above,  the  response  on  the  part  of  the  Griffin  Presby- 
terians was  remarkably  liberal.  $3,000,  from  a  membership  of  1.39.  means 
over  $21  for  each  person  on  the  roll,  a  record  that  has  nut  yet  been  eqnnlled 
by  even   the  rich  churches  of  Atlanta. 

At  the  night  services  Dr.  Jacobs  spoke  very  feelingly  of  the  liberality 
of  the  church,  which  is  a  very  small  one  numerically,  and  said  no  congre- 
gation in  the  state  had  responded  so  nobly  to  the  call  for  help.  <'onsi(lci-ing 
the  strength  of  the  membership. — Griffin  News. 


(6)    AT    ELBERTON. 

(5)     The    'model    church'    has    done    the    model    thing.      In    this    case    the 


40  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

now  as  he  said  to  his  people  after  they  had  heard  the  story: 
Brethren,  you  know  how  our  church  debt  must  be  paid  this 
week  and  you  know  how  hard  it  is  to  do  it.  But  I  have 
Avaited  a  lifetime  to  hear  this  call  and  now  that  I  have  heard 
it,  it  shall  not  fail  here.  1  will  be  the  first  of  ten  to  make 
up  the  thousand."  Of  course,  the  other  nine  follov/ed.  And 
then  Dalton^,   where   my  college  and  classmate   Frank   Sims 

model  church  is  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  city  of  Elhertou.  Gi. 
The  model  thing  they  did  was  to  place  a  representative  on  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  Oglethorpe  University.  They  also  did  it  in  a  model  v.ay.  They 
were  just  about  to  begiu  a  canvass  of  their  membership  to  make  a  next-to- 
last  payment  on  their  church  debt  when  they  heard  the  story  of  how  the 
Presbyterians  of  Georgia  were  refounding  their  famous  old  college.  Under 
the  circumstances  even  those  who  knew  the  church  best  doubted  their  ability 
to  add  over  one  thousand  dollars  to  their  gifts. 

On  Sunday  recently  they  were  told  the  story  of  what  the  other  churches 
had  done  and  of  the  flue  work  which  the  other  Directors  had  accomplished. 
The  response  was  instantaneous,  liberal,  big-hearted.  Not  a  man  who  wa^ 
called  upon  to  give  his  part  of  the  necessary  thousand  dollars  refused  until 
it  was  all  raised.  Then  they  chose  Dr.  Stacy,  their  pastor,  to  represent 
them  on  their  Board  and  he  was  present  in  Atlanta  on  the  evening  of  Sept. 
17th.  at  the  first  annual  banquet  and  meeting  of  the  Board.  The  eleatioa 
of  Dr.  Stacy  to  a  seat  on  the  Board  forms  oue  of  the  most  interesting  con- 
nections between  the  old  and  new  Oglethorpe.  It  w^as  his  uncle,  Dr.  James 
Stacy,  of  Newnan,  who  was  Stated  Clerk  of  the  Synod  of  Georgia  for  a  whole 
generation  and  who  in  word  and  deed  preached  the  gospel  in  Newnan  for 
almost  half  a  century.  Dr.  Stacy  was  the  last  living  member  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  old  Oglethorpe  University.  He  died  just  four  days  after 
the  movement  to  refound  that  Institution  had  begun.  He  died  knowing 
nothing  whatsoever  of  the  plan  to  revive  his  Alma  Mater,  and  Dr.  Stacy  of 
Elberton,  who  is  his  nephew  and  nearest  living  I'elative,  now  takes  his  place 
on    the   new   Board. 


(6)    D.'VI..TON    PRE.SBYTERIANS    .-MD    'SKW    UNIVERSITY. 
They   Place   Representative  on   Board   of  Trust — Banquet  at   Piedmont   Tuesday. 

The  last  of  the  first  one  hundred  men  needed  on  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  Oglethorpe  University  was  placed  there  by  the  splendid  liberality  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Dalton  on  last  Sunday  morning.  The  circum- 
stances surrounding  their  gift  were  so  unusual  that  they  will  prove  of  deep 
interest  to  all  friends  of  higher  education  in  the  South.  Dalton,  as  every- 
body knows,  is  the  home  of  Will  Harben,  the  novelist,  and  Robert  Love- 
man,  the  poet.  It  is  also  the  place  where  Mark  Matthews,  now  pastor  of 
the  largest  Presbyterian  church  in  the  world,  began  his  remarkable  career. 
Dr.  Walter  Lingle  was  at  one  time  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  there 
and  Dalton   is  a   sort  of  second   home  to  Dr.  Hugh  Walker,  of  Atlanta. 

The  Presbyterians  of  Dalton  are  on  the  point  of  building  a  new  church 
and  every  man  in  the  congregation  was  calculating  the  utmost  capacity  of 
his  gift  to  it.  Yet  when  they  learned  the  fine  story  of  how  the  Presbyte- 
rians of  the  South  were  refounding  their  famous  old  Oglethorpe  University 
and  of  how  it  was  desired  that  a  man  from  Dalton  should  be  on  the  Boari^ 
of    Directors,    they    did    one    of    the    most    remarkable    things    that    has    been 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  41 

was  pastor.  It  was  after  the  service  when  H.  L.  Smith  said: 
"Do  you  know  why  we  are  going  to  do  this  thing?  Well, 
it  is  because  you  believe  in  us."  And  then  comes  LaGrange. 
Dr.  Herndon  had  told  me  that  I  might  come  to  LaGrange'^, 
adding  that  there  were  three  men  in  the  congregation  who 
combined  might  give  as  much  as  a  thousand.  When  he  met 
me  at  the  station  on  Saturday  afternoon  he  was  distressed 
beyond  measure.  Thinking  it  might  be  the  prospect  of  rain 
for  the  morrow,  I  suggested  that  it  might  clear  up.  "Oh,  it 
isn't  that !"  he  exclaimed.  "Listen !  You  may  remember  that 
I  told  you  of  three  good  men  in  the  congregation  who  might 
make  up  the  thousand?  Well,  the  first  one  I  had  in  mind  has. 
gone  to  a  convention  in  Detroit,  the  second  one  was  ordered 

done  in  the  entire  canvass.  Conscious  of  their  own  needs  they  nevertheless 
in  the  most  unselfish  way  gave  more  than  a  thousand  dollars,  more  than 
five  dollars  for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  church,  and  chose  H.  L. 
Smith,  one  of  their  best  loved  elders,  to  represent  them  on  the  Board. 
In  doing  this  they  closed  one  of  the  finest  records  of  liberality  ever  made 
in  this  country,  for  it  can  now  be  said  that  although  the  cause  of  Oglethorpe 
University  has  been  presented  in  many  churches  in  Georgia  from  Valdosta 
to  Dalton,  not  one  church  has  failed  to  put  one  or  more  men  on  the  Board 
of  Directors  and  to  pledge  as  an  earnest  of  their  devotion  to  the  cause  not 
less   than    one   thousaud   dollars   for  ever.v    man   so   placed. 

The  greater  part  of  these  one  hundred  men  met  at  the  Piedmont  hotel 
Tuesday  evening  at  7:30  o'clock  for  the  first  annual  banquet  and  session  of 
their  Board.  They  organized,  appointed  committees,  elected  officers  and 
laid  plans  for  the  founding  of  a  million  dollar  university  for  the  Southern 
Assembly. 


(7)     A    RECORD    OF    GLORY. 

Not  ver.v  long  ago  .a  certain  Presbyterian  minister,  having  been  asked 
why  it  was  that  there  was  no  Presbyterian  college  in  Georgia  where  all 
the  great  denominations  have  colleges,  and  no  Presbyterian  University  in 
the  sixteen  southern  states  where  all  the  great  denominations  have  uni- 
versities, replied:  "On  the  quiet,  son,  it  is  because  the  Southern  Presby- 
terians are  just  naturally  stingy  and  no  account,  and  the  Synod  of  Georgia 
is  the  stingiest  of  the  whole  bunch." 

Whether  the  bathos  or  the  pathos  of  such  a  sentence  is  the  more  as- 
tounding let  him  reply  who  may. 

On  Sunday.  October  13th.  the  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Ii-iGrange.  Ga.,  were  told  the  story  of  the  refounding  of  Oglethorpe  T'ni- 
versit.v.  It  is  the  smallest  chur(>h  in  which  the  subject  has  been  presented, 
having  only  eighty-five  members.  It  was  a  bad  Sunday,  besides  being,  the 
thirteenth  of  the  month,  and  two  of  the  most  liberal  men  of  the  congre- 
gation  were  away. 

Yet  look  what  the  baby  did: 

Those  eighty-five  meuibers  averaged  thirt.v  dollars  each  for  every  man. 
woman   and   child   of   them.     They   put  two   men   on    the   board   at  oae  thou- 


42  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

to  the  west  for  his  health,  and,  Jacobs,  yesterday  the  third 
man  sprained  his  knee  and  has  gone  to  the  hospital !"  1  re- 
member also  that  it  was  the  thirteenth  of  the  month.  When 
the  little  congregation  assembled  that  da}'-  with  the  skies  over- 
cast, nothing  seemed  possible.  Yet  1  had  learned  my  lesson 
at  Milledgeville.  It  was:  Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but 
by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  I  had  been  talking 
perhaps  live  minutes  when  a  man  with  a  set,  pained  expres- 
sion came  limping  in.  Suddenly  it  flashed  across  my  mind 
that  he  was  the  third  best  man  and  had  just  come  from  the 
hospital.  I  can  tell  you  even  the  color  of  his  eyes  for  I  watched 
them  for  30  minutes  thereafter.  When  the  service  was  over, 
he  rose  slowly,  seemed  to  waver  and  then  walked  straight 
out  the  door.  The  dull  thud  that  followed  was  my  heart 
sinking.  Then  I  heard  a  little  woman  say :  "Quick,  give  me  the 
pen.  i  want  to  be  the  first  on  that  list."  Others  followed 
until  over  a  thousand  dollars  was  subscribed.  Then  I  felt  a 
touch  on  my  arm.  It  was  my  friend  with  the  game  kne&. 
He  had  another  man  by  the  arm.  'T  thought  he  would  do 
it,"  he  was  saying  quietly,  "we  are  both  good  for  five  hun- 
dred each." 

That  is  the  way  it  has  been  always.  As  I  glance  at  my 
little  red  memorandum  book  I  find  that  I  have  told  the  Ogle- 
thorpe story  in  one  hundred  pulpits,  from  Milledgeville  to 
Pittsburg,  by  way  of  Galveston  and  Tampa.     One  hundred 

sand  dollars  each,  and  had  some  left  over  for  good  measure. 

If  every  church  in  the  Southern  Assembly  were  to  equal  that  they  would 
give  nine  million  dollars. 

Take  the  record  at  Griffin,  Ga.  That  church  gave  a  little  under  twenty- 
three  dollars  for  every   man,  woman   and  child  in   it. 

Take  Atlanta,  Ga.  They  will  give  somewhere  between  fifty  and  one 
hundred   dollars   per  member. 

And,  listen  to  this :  The  smallest  average  that  has  yet  been  made  by 
any   church  is  ten   dollars  per  member. 

Does  that  sound  like  stinginess? 

Mind  you,  that  is  an  average  and  includes  the  sick,  absent  and  the 
dead-broke. 

Aren't  you  proud  of  the  folks  you  come  from  and  the  church  you  be- 
long  to? 

Isn't  it  a  record  of  glory? 

"And  the  Synod  of  Georgia  is  the  stingiest  of  the  whole  bunch." 

Then  all  we  can  say  is  that  the  balance  of  them  have  got  to  go  some. 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  43 

times  I  have  hung  upon  the  will  of  God  facing  congregations 
who  were  as  utter  strangers  to  me  for  the  most  part  as  I 
was  to  them.  And  one  hundred  times  he  has  heard  the  pray- 
ers of  those  who  are  compelling  this  old  cornerstone  to  come 
on  into  the  building,  for  not  one  single  church  of  the  one  hun- 
dred bas  failed  to  give  its  member  to  the  Board  of  Founders. 
It  is  always  a  shameless  thing  for  a  man  to  be  aided  by  a 
friend,  tremendously  aided,  a;nd  then  fail  to  give  him  the 
proper  acknowledgement  of  it.  Particularly  is  this  the  case 
when  that  friend  is  really  the  one  real  factor  in  the  doing 
of  the  deed,  and  insists  on  saying  nothing  aloud  for  himself. 
The  writer  of  these  lines  has  witnessed  just  such  a  case  dur- 
ing the  past  months.  He  has  seen  a  marvelous  thing  happen. 
Nearly  three  hundred  Presbyterian  men  have  been  gathered 
together  to  refound  Oglethorpe  University,  and  the  smallest 
contribution  for  the  hundreds  is  one  thousand  dollars.  The 
person  who  has  done  such  a  thing  deserves  praise  and  grati- 
tude, and  since  he  himself  will  not  do  it,  we  should  always  tell 
his  name. 

It  gives  us  the  great  pleasure  to  do  this  because  we  have 
had  the  privilege  of  watching,  first-hand  and  fully,  the  quality 
of  his  work.  Every  single  time  that  any  man  has  been  ap- 
proached on  the  subject  of  making  his  gift  to  Oglethorpe 
this  fine  friend  of  the  movement  has  contrived  to  be  present. 
Sometimes  the  Oglethorpe  representative  bungled  his  words 
(we  saw  that  often)  and  this  person  saved  the  day  with  an 
eloquent  suggestion  of  some  sort  that  moved  the  heart  of  the 
man  to  whom  he  spoke.  More  than  one  member  of  the  board 
he  alone  secured  without  aid  of  any  one  else,  and  in  his 
own  quiet  way  he  really  has  done  it  all.  The  men  who  heard 
hini  speak,  the  Avhole  three  hundred  of  them,  want  his  name 
told,  and  they  are  determined  that  every  one  who  hears  of 
Oglethorpe  shall  hear  the  name  of  him  who  in  his  own  good 
time  and  in  his  own  good  way  brings  about  whatsoever  com- 
eth  to  pass.  And  because  he  is  our  Father  and  our  God,  who 
has  done  so  many  other  wondrous  things,  we  thank  Him  all 
the  more. 


44  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

And  so  on  the  cornerstone  of  her  first  building  we  have  en- 
graved the  motto  of  the  new  Oglethorpe  :  Manu  Dei  Resur- 
rexit.  For  by  the  right  hand  of  God  she  has  risen  from 
the  dead.  To  have  Him  do  this  is  a  greater  thing  than  to 
have  a  University.  Lovv^ell  used  to  say  that  the  American 
people  could  not  distinguish  between  a  big  thing  and  a  great 
one.  Oglethorpe  may  never  be  a  big  university,  though 
doubtless  she  will,  but  she  is  already  a  great  one.  When  one 
considers  one  hundred  congregations,  varying  in  number 
from  fifteen  at  Sparta,  Ga.,  when  we  sang  the  opening  dox- 
ology,  to  many  hundreds  in  Dr.  Vance's  mammoth  church 
in  Nashville ;  varying  in  riches  from  poor  little  country 
churches  to  rich  city  congregations ;  varying  in  condition 
from  those  burdened  with  a  heavy  debt  and  behind  on  even 
the  pastor's  salary  or  about  to  build  a  new  structure  or  just 
paralyzed  by  a  storm;  varying  in  temperature  from  the  swelt- 
ering heat  of  midsummer  to  the  icy  chill  of  a  zero  blizzard ; 
varying  in  location  from  Texas  to  Pennsylvania,  and  from 
Florida  to  Missouri ;  varying  thus  in  every  conceivable  way 
and  then  realizes  that  not  one  of  them  failed — surely  the 
Lord  was  in  these  places  and  we  know  it  well.  And  so, 
when  I  think  of  Oglethorpe,  of  the  men  and  women  who 
in  all  the  years  to  come  will  call  her  theirs,  I  want  to  be 
sure  that  they  know  this  thing ;  that  they  also  may  under- 
stand how  the  unmeasured  God  has  arranged  all  His  provi- 
dences so  that  answers  follow  prayers. 

And  because  I  want  the  story  of  their  generosity  and  of 
His  loving  kindness  remembered  in  the  after  years,  I  am  go- 
ing to  count  them  over,  naming  them  one  by  one.  They  are 
all  of  them  worthy  to  be  mentioned  in  the  same  breath  with 
LaGrange,  so  we  write  Newnan*  by  her  side,  v/hose  pastor. 


(8)    AT   NEWNAN— HER    PRAYER   MEETING. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  events  in  the  campaign  for  the  refonniliiis  of 
Oglethorpe  ITniversity  occurred  last  Sunday  morning  at  Newnan,  Ga.  The 
Presbyterian  congregation  in  that  city  is  in  the  charge  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Hannali. 
who  was  preceded  by  Rev.  C.  O.  Martindale.  but  before  him  Dr.  .Tames 
Stacy  was  for  forty-three  years  their  pastor.  At  tlie  time  of  liis  d'^aHi. 
which  occurred  last  spring,  he  was  the  historian  and  for  nearly  forty  years 
the    stated    clerk    of    the    Synod    of    Georgia.      He    is    the    man    who    was    re- 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  45 

J.  E.  Hannah,  contented,  but  not  satisfied  because  his  peo- 
ple had  done  their  duty,  told  of  young  Stacy  Capers,  who 
for  his  Church's  sake  and  in  the  spirit  of  old  Dr.  James  Stacy, 
alumnus  and  last  living  member  of  the  old  Oglethorpe  board, 
gave  a  thousand  dollars  as  his  personal  expression  of  hope 
and  desire. 

Thus  one  by  one  the  .Saturday  afternoons  came  with  their 
trains  and  the  Sunday  mornin'^s  with  their  congregations. 
One  by  one  they  added  each  their  thousand,  until  the  day  came 
when  I  went  to  Clinton. 

quested  by  the  Synod  to  write  a  history  of  Presbyterianism  in  Georgia. 
This  history  was  barely  completed  when  he  died,  and  at  the  request  of  the 
Synod,  Dr.  C.  I.  Stacy,  of  Elberton,  edited  it  for  publication.  It  is  the  first 
and  only  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Georgia  ever  written  and 
has  recently  been  published  by  The  Westminster  Company  of  Atlanta.  In 
a  remarkable  chapter  of  that  history,  dealing  with  Oglethorpe  University, 
Dr.  Stacy,  after  noting  the  glorious  record  of  the  Institution,  uses  the  fol- 
lowing words  in  a  concluding  paragraph : 

"Let  the  Presbyterians  of  Georgia  awake,  and  like  Jews  of  old,  after 
their  return  from  captivity,  and  viewing  their  beautiful  Temple  in  ruins, 
Btop  not  simply  with  the  shedding  of  bitter  tears,  now  wholly  unavailing, 
but  like  them  to  go  to  work  to  rebuild  and  with  firm  resolve  to  make  their 
latter  house  even   more  glorious  than   the  former." 

About  two  weeks  before  Dr.  Stacy  died  the  first  subscriptions  to  re- 
found  Oglethorpe  were  made  in  Atlanta,  but  no  announcement  was  made 
of  the  plans  till  after  his  death,  so  that  on  the  one  hand  he  died  ignorant 
of  any  plans  to  refound  Oglethorpe  and  on  the  other  hand  those  who  were 
refounding  the  Institution  did  not  know  anything  of  his  article  on  Ogle- 
thorpe. Last  Sunday  morning  the  Newnan  Church  heard  the  story  of  how 
that  Institution  was  to  be  rebuilt  and  they  enthusiastically  and  liberally 
su'bscribed  the  amount  necessary  to  i)ut  a  director  on  the  Board.  A  most  in- 
teresting fact  in  connection  with  this  gift  is  that  Dr.  Stacy  was  an  alumnus 
of  Oglethorpe  and  the  last  living  director  of  the  old  Board.  That  his  life- 
time should  have  overlapped  the  movement  to  refound  his  .\lma  Mater  and 
that  his  own  church  should  respond  so  liberally  to  its  call  is  an  interesting 
coincidence. 


By  the  way,  down  in  Newnan  they  have  one  of  the  most  interesting 
prayer  meetings  in  the  South.  It  is  inter-denominational  and  liegan  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  When  the  Sunday  School  of  that  church  was  or- 
ganized in  1838  it  was  done  by  two  women  because  no  man  could  be  found 
In  Newnan  to  lead  in  prayer.  Then  there  was  organized  in  recent  years  n. 
little  prayer  meeting  for  the  specific  purpose  of  teaching  the  men  of  the 
church  how  to  lead  in  prayer.  It  was  so  successful  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  that  the  other  denominations  asked  for  its  enlargement  to  include 
them,  and  although  it  is  hardly  believable  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  there 
are  now  over  two  hundred  men  in  Newnan  who  may  be  counted  on  to  pray 
publicly  or  lead  Prayer  Meeting.  This  in  a  little  city  of  less  than  ten  thou- 
sand people.  Over  half  the  men  in  the  Newnan  Presbyterian  Church  may 
be  called  upon  to  lead  in  public  prayer. 

Doesn't  this  offer  a  fine  suggestion   for  your  own   home  community? 


46  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

In  Clinton^  were  the  orphans  and  there  also  the  Presbyte- 
rians of  the  state  have  placed  their  state  college.  Some- 
how, I  felt  that  the  Oglethorpe  story  should  be  told  first  in 
South  Carolina  at  Clinton.  She  is  my  old  home  town,  where 
Dr.  Jacobs  is  softened  into  Thornwell.  When  Dr.  Jones,  v/ho 
had  succeeded  my  father  after  his  forty-seven  years'  pastor- 
ate there,  wrote  me  that  I  might  come,  I  west  gladly.  It 
was  the  first  time  the  story  had  ever  been  told  outside  of 
Georgia,  and  there  before  me  sat  the  old  familiar  faces  of 
the  days  that  had  been.  It  is  easier  to  speak  to  strangers 
than  to  those  with  whom  we  used  to  make  mud  pies  when 
we  were  boys  and  girls.  One  comes  down  to  the  fundamen- 
tals with  his  home  folks.  My  old  father  was  there  that 
morning  and  perhaps  may  have  remembered  the  strange 
noises  beneath  the  room  where  his  session  was  holding  their 
weekly  Sabbath  meeting  and  did  not  know  that  they  came 
from  a  royal  cock-fight  in  which  his  young  sons  were  en- 
gaging. And  there  was  my  friend,  George  Young,  looking 
me  straight  in  the  eye  and  probably  thinking  of  the  water- 
melons or  the  plums  that  used  to  disappear  from  his  orchard. 
At  least  I  thought  of  the  nice  green  apples  we  used  to  find 
on  that  farm.    And  there  was  Cad  Bailey,  my  boyhood  chum, 


(9)    OGLETHORPE    CROSSES    THE    SAVANNAH. 

The  little  city  of  Cliuton,  S.  C,  comes  about  as  near  belonging  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church  as  any  town  we  know  of.  Not  only  is  the  Presby- 
terian denomination  the  strongest  there,  but  Clintonians  have  for  so  many 
years  been  so  much  interested  in  so  many  Presbyterian  enterprises  that 
some  remarkable  privileges  have  been  accorded  them.  It  was  their  privilege 
to  lead  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  in  the  founding  of  an  orphanage.  It 
was  their  privilege  to  lead  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  in  the  founding 
of  a  college. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  October.  ir»l"_'.  it  was  their  privilege  to  lead 
the  Synod   of  South   Carolina  in  the  founding  of  a  University. 

It  was  their  own  University,  old  Oglethorpe,  founded  by  a  Presbytery 
of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  in  days  before  there  was  a 
Presbyterian  college  l>etween  Virginia  and  the  Pacific  ocenn.  For  years  it 
was  maintained  by  the  Synod  and  later  by  the  Synods  into  which  it  waa 
divided. 

It  was  founded  to  become  a  great  Southern  Presbyterian  University. 
It  was  beginning  to  become  it.  It  boasted  the  finest  college  chapel  in  the 
United  States  before  tliere  was  such  a  town  as  Atlanta  on  the  map.  It 
graduated  the  greatest  southern-born  poet  who  ever  lived  and  the  only  one 
who  ranks  with  the  seven  immortals  of  American  literature.  Fifty  years 
after  the  civil   war   swept   it   off  the   face  of  the  earth,   the  Governor  of   the 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  47 

and  the  girls  whose  mud  pies  I  used  to  smash.  Yes,  you 
have  to  know  what  you  are  going  to  say  to  the  homefolks, 
especially  when  your  Sunday  school  teachers  and  the  pro- 
fessors who  recall  your  college  days  are  in  the  audience. 
After  the  address,  I  stepped  down  from  the  pulpit  wonder- 
ing what  would  happen.  "Cad  Bailey  says  he'll  give  the 
whole  thing  rather  than  see  it  fail,"  was  the  first  words  I 
heard.  Others  added  their  gifts  and  good  wishes  and  later 
I  grasped  the  hand  of  my  farmer.  "How  are  you.  Thorn- 
well?"  he  asked.  "All  right,  Mr.  Young,  except  a  little 
frightened."  "Scared?"  he  inquired.  "Why?"  Well,  I  ex- 
plained, "it's  the  first  time  in  South  Carolina,  and  it's  in  my 
home  town  and  all — "  "Why,  my  boy,"  he  interrupted,  "you 
didn't  think  that  we  would  let  a  Clinton  boy  come  home  on 
a  mission  like  this  and  send  him  back  defeated?" 

Just  the  old  home  folks !     I  learned  to  love  them  all  the 


state  in  which  it  perished  is  an  alumnus,  one  of  the  senators,  a  descendant 
of  the  men  who  founded  it  and  the  other  the  First  Vice  President  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  who  are  refounding  it.  As  if  this  were  not  enough,  the 
President  of  the  United  States  was  partly  reared  on  her  campus  and  his 
only  real  rival  traces  his  lineage  back   to  her  cornerstone. 

So  when  the  people  heard  the  story  of  how  the  Southern  Presbyterians 
were  going  to  refound  Oglethorpe  I'niTersity  they  counted  it  a  thing  to  be 
grasped  after  that  they  should  have  the  honor  of  being  the  first  church  in 
the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  to  put  a  representative  on  her  Board  of  Di- 
rectors. 

And  it  was  not  so  much  that  they  did  it.  for  every  one  knew  that  that 
would  happen,  but  it  was  the  way  in   which  it  was  done  that  tells. 

The  first  two  men  on  the  list  of  contributors  were  the  first  two  men 
who  years  ago  made  the  first  two  contributions  to  found   Clinton   College. 

A  half  dozen  of  the  contributors  were  among  the  original  Board  of 
Trustees  of  that  institution. 

The  first  man  to  say,  "We  must  do  this  thing,"  was  a  graduate  of  Da- 
vidson College  and  the  second  of  Clinton  College. 

The  whole  attitude  of  this  fountain-head  of  Presbyterian  education  in 
South  Carolina  was:  We  have  aided  in  founding  an  orphanage;  we  have 
aided  in  fotinding  a  college  and  now  we  have  the  privilege  of  aiding  in  the 
founding  of  a   University. 

And  there  is  this  about  it.  For  ye:irs  Clinton  institutions  have  been 
appealing  to  tlie  Presbyterian  public.  This  is  probably  the  first  appeal 
of  the  Presbyterian  public  to  Clinton  Institutions.  They  were  not  found 
wanting. 

And  their  pastor.  Rev.  F.  D.  .Tones,  who  has  made  good  so  abundantly 
in  his  labors  there  in  college  and  community  and  church — one  of  those  big- 
hearted,  reasonable  optimists  who  believes  in  his  people  and  in  whom  his 
people   believe— all   South    Carolina   will   be   glad   to   know   of  his   fine  succesa 


48  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

more  that  day.  I  found  no  folks  were  better  than  they. 
When  the  fingers  of  God  play  upon  the  hearts  of  men  and 
women,  anywhere,  they  are  all  his   folks. 

Side  by  side  on  that  Clinton  list  are  the  names  of  the  three 
men  who  gave  the  first  three  gifts  to  Clinton  College.  They 
are  J.  W.  Copeland,  M,  S.  Bailey  and  W.  P.  Jacobs. 

Having  led  South  Carolina  in  the  founding  of  her  college 
and  also  her  orphanage,  they  now  led  in  the  founding  of 
her  University. 

The  magnanimity  of  the  city  of  Macon^^  was  made  plain 

in  this  important  field  where  are  located  some  of  her  most  important  in- 
stitutions and  it  will  do  them  all  good  to  know,  also,  that  at  a  time  when 
a  man  was  needed  as  the  pastor  of  the  Clinton  church  he  was  to  found 
there.  He  believed  that  his  people  would  do  it  nor  did  they  disappoint  hie 
faith. 

"One  stone  the  more  swings  to  her  place, 
In    that  dread   temple  of  Thy  worth; 
It  is  enough   that   through   Thy   grace 
They  saw  their  duty  to  Thine  earth." 
And  as  it  was  at  Clinton,   so  will  it  be  elsewhere.     The  Southern   people 
want   their    University    resurrected    from   its   ashes,   and   what    they    want   they 
are  now  able  to  get. 


(10)    THE   MEASURE   OF   MACON. 

It  is  a  trifle  too  early  for  us  to  announce  the  full  size  of  the  thing  that 
Macon  is  going  to  do  for  Oglethorpe,  hut  eiuiugh  has  already  been  done 
to  give  us  a  line  on  the  size  of  her  heart.  It  is  a  big,  fine  heart  and  It 
beats  true  to  the  memory  of  the  Alma  Mater  of  Sidney  Lanier  the  Macon 
boy  whose  fame  has  girdled  the  earth. 

There  are  now  four  names  on  the  list  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
Oglethorpe  all  of  them  secured  in  Macon,  and  one  of  the  strongest  churches 
in  the  city  has  not  yet  been  visited.  In  addition  to  this,  it  is  likely  that 
two  more  Macon   names  will   soon   appear  on   the  list. 

One  of  the  heaviest  oontribntors  is  the  Chairman  of  the  Capital  Re- 
moval Association. 

That  of  itself  tells  of  the  kind  of  men  who  live  in   Macon. 

Presbyterians  never  did  believe  much  in  mixing  politics  and  religion, 
anyway. 

Macon  knew  that  a  strong  delegation  of  her  citizens  was  wanted  on  the 
Oglethorpe  Board  and  in  her  big-hearted  way  she  is  going  to  see  that 
they   are  there. 


(11)  MACON  PRESBYTERI.\NS  HELP  REFOCND  COLLEGE. 

Oglethorpe  University,  the  Alma  Mater  of  Sidney  Lanier,  the  poet  whose 
fame  has  gone  over  the  world,  is  to  be  refonnded  and  the  fine  story  of  it 
was  recited  at  the  First  Presbytertan  Church  yesterday  morning  by  Thorn- 
well  Jacobs,  the  secretary  of  the  movement. 

Oglethorpe  was  the  first  Presbyterian  college  south  of  Virginia,  and  the 
first   denominational   college  for   men   in  Georgia.     For   many    years  It   did   a 


Monument  of  Sidney  Lanier,  the  famous  poet-son  of  the  "Old"  Oglethorpe, 
which  stands  in  Piedmont  Park,  Atlanta.  I^anier's  diploma  will  hang  upon  the 
walls   of  the   new   Oglethorpe. 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  49 

on  the  following-  Sunday  when  in  the  midst  of  the  campaign 
for  the  removal  of  the  Capitol  from  Atlanta  to  that  city, 
the  chairman  of  the  removal  committee  made  a  subscription 
of  $500  to  Oglethorpe  and  other  friends  added  more  than 
a  thousand.  But  it  was  on  the  succeeding  Sunday  at  Colum- 
bu«^^,  Georgia,  that  a  really  amazing  thing  happened ;  within 

magnificent  work  at  Milledgeville,  the  then  capitol  of  the  state,  producing 
Bome  of  the  brightest  minds  of  the  country.  Destroyed  by  the  war,  after 
50  years  it  is  to  be  rebuilt. 

Two  hundred  men,  each  representing  a  gift  of  one  thousand  dollars  or 
more,  are  being  gathered  into  a  Board  of  Directors  to  control  the  institu- 
tion. While  the  smallest  gift  will  thus  be  a  thousand  dollars  the  largest 
will  be  much  more  and  the  average  will  be  something  like  two  thousand. 
A  site  of  137  acres  including  an  82-acre  lake,  valued  at  $100,000,  on  Peachtree 
road,  Atlanta,  has  been  given  and  accepted  for  the  institution  and  over  one 
hundred  of  the  men  secured.  It  is  particularly  desired  that  there  should 
be  a  strong  Macon  delegation  on  the  Board. 

The  plans  contemplate  the  securing  of  something  like  a  million  dollars 
in  the  next  five  years,  at  least  half  of  which  will  be  set  aside  for  endowment. 

Among  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  plan  is  the  proposal  to  es- 
tablish in  the  University  a  chair  of  English  literature  to  be  named  for  Sidney 
Lanier.  This  will  be  the  first  monument  of  the  sort  to  any  Southern  poet 
and  the  fact  that  Lanier  was  a  Macon  boy  adds  especial  interest  for  this  city. 

The  address  was  accorded  a  splendid  reception  by  the  Presbyterians  of 
the  First  Church.  The  presence  of  two  representatives  from  this  body  is 
already  assured. 

Mr.  Jacobs  is  stopping  at  the  Lanier  Hotel. — From  the  Macon  Telegraph. 


(12)  THE  GENEROSITY  OF  COLFMBIS  AND  QUITMAN. 

When  one  of  the  biggest  churches  of  the  Synod  does  a  big  thing  and 
one  of  the  smallest  churches  of  the  Synod  does  a  big  thing,  and  when  both 
of  these  churches  may  be  classed  with  many  other  churches  who  have  also 
done  a  big  thing — all  for  the  same  cause — it  is  certainly  worthy  of  note. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Columbus,  Ga.,  is  one  whose  history 
is  Interesting  and  whose  record  is  glorious.  It  has  a  fine  membership  and 
a  large  one,  pre-senting  a  magnificent  opportunity  for  service,  and  it  has 
a  pastor  who  measures  up  to  the  opportunity.  Dr.  I.  S.  McElroy  was  born 
at  Lebanon,  Ky.,  educated  at  Danville,  and  at  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
Virginia.  He  was  pastor  at  Stanford,  Ky.,  Mt.  Sterling.  Ky.,  Lexington, 
Ky.,  and  now  at  Columbus,  Ga.  He  was  the  representative  of  the  Synod 
of  Kentucky  in  raising  the  endowment  fund  for  the  establishment  of  Louis- 
Tille  Theological  Seminary,  1890-94.  Later  he  was  the  superintendent  of 
the  synod's  evangelistic  work  during  the  latter  part  of  his  pastorate  in  Lex- 
ington. Since  that  time  his  life  has  been  full  of  honors  and  labors.  Witness 
the  following:  Elected  by  unanimous  vote  of  Jackson.  Miss.,  assembly  as 
secretary  of  Ministerial  Relief  1902-1904;  accepted  urgent  call  to  pastorate 
of  First  Church.  Columbus.  Ga.,  190.5. 

Received  his  degree  (D.  D.)  from  Central  University  of  Kentucky  1894. 
Moderator  of  Synod  of  Kentucky,  at  Danville,  1899.  and  of  Synod  of  Georgia 
at  Cedartown,  1909.  Elected  by  three  general  assemblies  as  representative 
to  Pan-Presbyterian  Council.  The  last  assembly  elected  him  to  bear  fra- 
ternal  greetings    of   the   southern    church    to   A.    R.    P.    Synod   and    to    attend 


50  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

fifteen  minutes  after  the  morning-  address  members  had  vol- 
untarily subscribed  over  $5,000.  It  was  one  of  the  most  mag- 
nificent displays  of  generosity  which  had  as  yet  greeted  the 
presentation  of  the  cause.  Not  a  man,  woman  or  child  was 
spoken  to  personally.  Indeed,  it  may  be  truthfully  said  that 
while  the  amounts  subscribed  in  other  churches  have  rarely 
equaled  the  Columbus  subscription,  yet  the  spirit  shown  al- 
most universally  had  been  identical  with  the  open  handed 
liberality  of  the  Electric  City. 

Here,  for  example,  is  Quitman'^*,  Georgia,  with  a  little  mem- 

aa  the  representative  from  the  Synod  of  Georgia  the  Pan-Presbyterian  Coun- 
cil, which  met  at  A'lerdeen,  Sc-otlanil,  June  17--7.  l\)l'.i.  He  has  also 
been  elected  with  Dr.  Morris  and  Dr.  Fleming  of  P.altimore  to  represent  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  World's  Congress  on  Evangelism  th.it 
will  meet  in  Great  Britain  the  last  weeli  of  June  next.  It  is  ;i  decided 
distinction  for  the  First  Church  at  Columbus  to  have  their  pastor  selected 
as  a  delegate  to  two  such  world  congress  meetings  in  Europe  in  the  same 
summer,  but  no  church  is  more  deserving  of  this  honor.  Dr.  McElroy 
ought  to  attend  these  great  assemblies  and  his  church  will  doubtless  see 
that   he  goes   or   know   the   reason    why. 

With  such  a  pastor  and  such  a  church  no  wonder  that  they  broke  all 
records  outside  of  the  city  of  Atlanta.  As  a  consequence  the  delegation 
from  Columbus  on  the  Board  of  Founders  of  Oglethorpe  Tniversity  will 
be  the  largest  from  any  church  outside  of  Atlanta,  six  men  representing 
a  gift  of  $6,000  or  more.  In  doing  this  these  noble  people  fulfllled  the 
fine  tradition  of  their  fathers.  The  tirst  pastor  of  the  Columbus  church  was 
a  professor  in  Oglethorpe.  Dr.  McElroy's  predecessor,  the  beloved  Dr.  Carter, 
was  an  alumnus  of  Oglethorpe,  and  now  the  church  and  its  present  pastor 
play  one  of  the  most  important  parts  iu  the  refouuding  of  that  old  in- 
stitution. 


(13)  And  if  you  have  never  been  to  Quitman,  Ga.,  we  will  tell  you  in  ad- 
vance that  it  is  worth  a  trip  there  just  to  see  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
that  thriving  young  city.  What  would  you  say  if  you  were  told  that  a 
little  Presbyterian  Church  with  approximately  one  hundred  members  had 
built  and  dedicated  free  of  debt  a  $30,000  church,  steam  heated  throughout, 
and  containing  among  other  things  an  echo  organ  and  a  Sunday  School 
equipment  that  are  the  marvel  of  the  neighborhood?  Well,  that  is  just 
what  the  Presbyterians  at  Quitman  have  done  under  the  magnificent  lead- 
ership of  their  pastor.  Dr.  Chas.  A.  Campbell.  "That  Scotchman  can  get 
anything  he  wants  for  that  church,"  said  one  of  the  men  who  did  it.  He 
has  certainly  got  It.  There  is  not  a  more  complete  church  plan  on  the 
map.  And  the  fine  part  about  it  all  is  that  all  this  work  has  been  done  'n 
a  pastorate  of  five  years,  during  which  time  the  membership  has  been  largely 
increased,  the  church  built  and  paid  for,  and  the  pastor's  salary  trebled. 
Before  the  whole  story  is  finished  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  South  Georgia 
are  going  to  be  leading  the  whole  South — if  we  don't  watch  out. 

And  have  you  heard  what  they  did  for  Oglethorpe?— two  directors,  two 
thousand  dollars,  with  the  possibility  of  a  third;  $20  per  member. 

It   is  a  little  church,   but  it  has  a   big   pastor,   and   big   men   and   women 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  51 

hership  of  slig-htly  over  one  hundred,  who  had  just  built  n 
832,000  church.  1  remember  remarking  in  my  address  that 
our  record  up  to  that  time  had  been  so  splendidly  unbroken 
that  I  expected  to  stay  in  Quitman  until  the  $1,000  had  been 
subscribed.  In  response  to  the  invitation  to  speak  to  me  pri- 
vately after  the  service,  on  that  morning  no  one  proffered 
a  subscription ;  passing  out  through  the  open  door  in  front 
of  the  church,  I  met  a  Mr.  Mcintosh.  "Well,"  said  he,  "I 
understand  you  are  going  to  be  here  quite  a  while,  so  I  guess 
I'll  see  you  again."  He  did  see  me  again.  That  afternoon 
a  big  automobile  rolled  up  to  the  door  of  my  host,  Mr.  J.  H. 
Malloy,  and,  after  a  conference,  they  decided  to  put  two  men 
on  the  board  instead  of  one. 

At  Greenwood*^*,  South  Carolina,  the  same  story  of  loyal 
liberality  was  repeated.  It  had  been  a  bad  year  for  the  cot- 
ton crop  in  South  Carolina,  and  in  addition  to  that  the  Pres- 
byterians of  the  state  had  recently  canvassed  very  thorough- 
ly the  city  of  Greenwood  for  their  local  state  institutions, 
as  if  that  were  not  enough,  the  church  had  recently  raised 
their  pastor's  salary  and  the  ladies  of  the  church  were  work- 
ing to  secure  funds  for  a  new  pipe  organ;  in  addition  to 
that,   the   business   men  of   the   city   had   recently   subscribed 


in    It.     They    live   in   a    big   country    and    have   big    hopes    and    plans   and    they 
do  big  things  for  their  church  and  their  God. 


(13a)     THK   GRIT    -VND   <iR.\CK    OF    (iREKNWOOl). 

Suppose  you  were  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Greenwood, 
S.  C.  Suppose  the  crops  in  your  immediate  neighborhood  had  been  un- 
usually poor.  Suppose  you  had  been  recently  struck  for  a  heavy  subscrip- 
tion for  an  interurban  car  system.  Suppose  your  church  had  just  raised 
its  pastor's  salary  and  you  were  a  member  of  the  Sunday  School  (as  every- 
body is  there)  which  holds  the  banner  for  liberality  in  the  Presbytery  for 
Sunday  School  extension  work  .tnd  wliere  a  siu;ile  class  pledges  .-i  hun- 
dred dollars  as  a  Christmas  gift  for  the  Thornwell  Orphanage.     Suppose  that 


52  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

heavily  to  a  trolley  line  to  their  community  and  also  to  a 
new  school  which  was  being  removed  from  another  county 
to  their  town.  In  the  midst  of  all  of  these  competing  and 
distracting  causes,  the  story  was  told  one  Sunday  morn- 
ing in  Greenwood.  Personally,  I  felt  very  much  as  if  the 
words  of  another  were  true,  "I  know  they  will,  but  I'm  afraid 
they  won't."  Never  did  a  people  do  more  nobly  for  they  gave 
more  than  I  asked  and  added  their  beloved  pastor,  Rev.  J.  B. 
Green,  to  oiir  list  of   founders. 


the  three  C's  campaign  (Clinton,  Columbia  and  Chicora)  had  just  been  pre- 
sented to  your  church,  and  that  you  had  been  right  at  the  top  of  all  the 
churches  in  proportionate  giving  to  that.  Suppose  that  you  were  just  in 
the  midst  of  raising  $2,500  for  a  new  organ  in  your  church  and  suppose 
that  your  town  as  well  as  your  church  was  struggling  to  raise  $40,000  on 
a  local  college  proposition.  And  then  suppose  that  on  Sunday  morning 
you   heard   another   appeal — Oglethorpe  University — what   would   you   do? 

Well,  if  you  lived  in  Greenwood  you  would  do  just  what  the  Greenwood 
people  always  do,  the  big-hearted  and  generous  thing.  We  men  here  in 
Atlanta  often  speak  of  smaller  towns  and  cities  catching  the  Atlanta  spirit. 
It  begins  to  look  as  if  we  might  some  day  have  to  change  that  and  urge 
Atlanta  to  catch  the  Greenwood  spirit.  For  this  golden-hearted  people  when 
they  heard  the  story  of  how  their  old  university  was  being  refounded,  put  one 
of  their  members,  representing  a  gift  of  more  than  .$l,0uO  on  the  Oglethorpe 
board.  If  the  whole  Synod  of  South  Carolina  should  do  as  well,  their  gifts 
would  amount  to  enough  to  replace  in  full  the  old  South  Carolina  profes- 
sorship in  Oglethorpe,  which  was  invested  in  confederate  bonds  and  to  build 
a   South  Carolina  hall  on  the  University  campus  in  addition. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  when  Oglethorpe  University  was  founded 
there  was  no  Synod  of  Georgia.  It  was  begun  by  a  Presbytery  of  the 
Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  about  the  same  time  that  Columbia 
Seminary  was  started.  Of  these  two  institutions  one  was  located  in  the 
capital  of  South  Carolina,  Columbia  Seminary,  and  the  other  in  the  capital 
of  Georgia,  Oglethorpe  University. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Green,  the  pastor  of  the  Greenwood  Church,  was  unanimously 
chosen  by  his  people  for  their  director.,And  thus — 

"One  stone   the   more   swings   to   her   place 

In  that  dread   temple  of  thy  worth, 

It  was  enough   that   through   thy   grace. 

They   saw  their  duty   to   thine  earth." 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  53 

And  then  came  Old  Ebenezer  Church^^,  the  first  suburban 
church  to  hear  the  story.  J.  T.  Dendy,  college  mate  and 
friend,  was  their  pastor.  Whatever  fears  we  may  have  en- 
tertained because  of  the  previous  drain  of  their  resources 
for  other  causes,  were  dissipated  when  Johnnie  Steele  gave 
a  thousand  dollars  to  put  his  pastor  on  the  board  and  other 
members  of  the  congregation  made  up  another  thousand  in 
the  name  of  Henry  M.  Massey. 

It  was  because  of  the  vision  and  interest  of  W.  Moore 
Scott  that  I  was  invited  to  the  First  Church  of  Savannah^^, 


(14)    WHAT   AN   OLD    COL'NTRV    CHURCH   CAN    DO, 

The   Wonderful   Story  of  What  is   Perhaps   the  Oldest   Presbyterian   Church   in 

the   Synod  of  South  Carolina  and   of  the  great   Record   They 

Made  for   Oglethorpe. 

Old  Ebenezer  smashed  the  South  Carolina  Oglethorpe  record  on  the 
third  Sunday  in  December,  and  although  many  other  South  Carolina 
churches  will  be  found  also  doing  their  duty,  is  it  likely  that  any  one  of 
them  will  do  better  in  proportion  to  their  membership  than  this  fine  old 
suburban  church  has  done?  Their  membership  numbers  an  even  two  hun- 
dred and  they  gave  an  even  two  thousand  dollars,  one  golden-hearted  man 
alone  giving  one  thousand  to  seat  his  pastor  on  the  Board.  Nothing  finer 
or  bigger-hearted  has  been  done  in  South  Carolina  in  years,  and  the  names 
of  men  and  women  who  did  it  should  be  written  imperishably  into  the  fine 
history  of  the  greatest  movement  that  has  engaged  the  energies  of  the 
Southern    Presbyterian   Church   in    this   generation. 

Rev.  Joseph  T.  Dendy,  who  is  an  alnninu.s  of  Clinton  College,  went  to 
Ebenezer  four  years  ago  last  August.  During  that  time  they  have  built  the 
manse,  remodeled  the  church,  and  received  seventy  members  into  the  church. 
The  congregations  are  large  and  growing.  The  Sabbath  School  retains  the 
banner  of  Bethel  Presbytery  the  third  year  for  making  the  largest  contri- 
bution to  Sabbath  School  Extension,  averaging  fifty  cents  per  capita.  The 
"every  member"  plan  is  in  operation,  and  has  made  wonderful  increase  in 
contributions  for  benevolent  causes,  also  she  has  done  her  part  in  the  three 
C's   campaign. 


<15)   IN  THE   CITY  OF  OGI.ETHORPE. 

Among  the  churches  which  have  set  forward  the  Oglethorpe  work  in  a 
telling  manner,  is  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Savannah,  Ga.,  whose 
pastor    is    Dr.    W.    Moore    Scott,    and    whose    membership    showed    their    fine 


54  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

and  that  the  congregation  with  a  liberal  subscription  of  $2,000 
placed  both  Mr.  Lee.  M.  "White  and  their  pastor  on  the  board 
of  founders. 

1  recall  with  delight  the  name  of  C.  M.  Gibbs,  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Church  in  Savannah^^  and  his  desire  that  the  old  In- 

quality  in  putting  two  of  their  naeoibeis  on  the  Board  of  Founders  of  Ogle- 
thorpe University. 

The  Independent  Chun'h  was  the  only  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city 
of  Savannah  till  1827.  About  that  time  several  of  the  members  of  that  church 
petitioned  the  Presbytery  of  Georgia  to  organize  them  into  a  church.  Ac- 
cordingly, at  a  called  meeting  of  the  Presbytery,  held  in  Savannah  June 
Cth,  lfS27,  the  petition  was  acted  on  and  a  church  organized,  consisting  of 
fourteen  members,  with  three  Ruling  Elders;  under  the  name  of  "The  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Savannah." 

The  following  are  their  names:  .loseph  Cumming,  Mrs.  Joseph  Cum- 
ming,  Edward  Coppee,  Lowell  Mason,  G.  G.  Faries,  William  King,  Jas.  C.  A. 
Johnson,  Capt.  Crabtree.  Mrs.  Crabtree,  Mrs.  L.  Gardiner,  Mrs.  Clitfon,  Mrs. 
Harbuck,  Miss  Spalding,  Miss  Lavender.  Messrs.  L.  Mason,  J.  Cumming 
and   G.   G.    Faries,   Ruling   Elders. 

The  little  flock  worshipped  in  a  frame  building,  known  as  "Lyceum 
Hall,"  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Bull  and  Broughton  streets. 

The  present  church  structure  is  commodious  and  hdequate.  It  i^ 
beautifully  situated  on  the  loveliest  street  in  the  city,  fronting  one  of 
Oglethorpe's  famous  parks.  Some  magnificent  work  has  been  done  during 
the  last  five  years  in  equipping  this  church  for  effective  leadership  in  Sa- 
vannah, and  Dr.  Scott  has  been  untiring  in  his  efforts  and  remarkably  suc- 
cessful. Thousands  of  dollars  have  been  spent  on  the  interior  of  the  build- 
ing, which  now  has  as  elegant  an  appearance  as  even  Savannah  could  desire. 
The  pulpit  furniture  is  especially  handsome,  but  even  handsomer  is  the 
attendance  at  Sunday  School  and  church,  and  the  generosity  of  this  splen- 
did people  toward  their  old  University. 

It  was  in  the  city  of  Savannah,  on  the  12th  day  of  February,  1733,  that 
Jas.  Edward  Oglethorpe  founded  the  colony  of  Georgia.  As  time  goes  by 
he  is  beginning  more  and  more  to  be  recognized  as  the  one  big-hearted  and 
Big-brained  colonizer  of  the  colonial  period.  It  was  his  far-seeing  and 
esthetic  eye  that  made  Savannah  the  most  beautiful  city  in  the  South,  so 
that  the  men  and  women  who  are  still  enjoying  his  blessing  in  the  city  that 
he  founded  look  with  a  grateful  interest  upon  the  plan  of  Southern  Presby- 
terians  to   name   their  great   University   after  Georgia's  foremost  citizen. 


(16)     TO     C.     M.     GIBBS     AND     THE     OL.D     INDEPENDENT     CHURCH,     SA- 
VANNAH,   GA. 

Mother  of  them  all,  she  stands  there  at  the  corner  of  Oglethorpe  avenue 
and  Bull  street — the  oldest  living  Presbyterian  Church  in  Georgia,  unless 
the  church  at  Flemington  through  old  Midway  could  claim  that  honor. 
Unique   also    among    the   churches    in    that    she   alone    is    a   complete    Session, 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  55 

dependent  Church  be  represented  in  the  founding  of  Ogle- 
thorpe, a  desire  that  was  worth  $1,000  to  the  cause,  as  also 
the  cordial  reception  of  the  story  at  Waycross  and  the  addi- 
tion of  their  pastor,  Rev.  R.  A.  Brown,  to  the  board  of  di- 
rectors. 

To  the  capitol  of  my  old  home  county,  Laurena^'^,  South 
Carolina,  Rev.  C.  F.  Rankin  extended  me  an  invitation  and  it 
was  because  of  the  splendid  generosity  of  some  noble  women 
of  this  city.  Mrs.  J.  O.  C.  Fleming,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Gibson  and  Mrs. 
W.  L.  Boyd,  combined  with  the  loyalty  of  an  alumnus, 
Col.  J.  W.  Ferguson  and  of  a  personal  friend,  Mr.  Minter,  that 
the  name  of  Col.  Ferguson  appears  among  our  list  of  founders. 

One  of  the  most  amazing  chapters  in  the  history  of  the 
cause  was  written  at  Blackshear^^,  where  a  little  congrega- 


Presbj'tery,  .Synod  aud  General  Assembly.  Like  old  Oglethorpe  University, 
she  was  burned  down,  but  not  destroyed.  And  among  that  fine  body  of  strong 
and  powerful  men  there  was  found  one  who  believed  that  his  people  who  had 
rebuilt  the  church  of  their  fathers  must  also  rebuild  the  university  of  their 
grandfathers.  Of  all  the  men  on  the  board,  none  will  represent  any  more  of 
historic  interest  than  C.  M.  Gibbs.  whose  faith  and  consecration  made  him  the 
representative  of  this  great  i-hurch  in  Savannah  on  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  Oglethorpe  University. 


(17)  TO  C.  F.  RANKIX  AXO  HIS  CHURCH  AT  LAURENS. 

The  capital  of  our  old  home  county  where  amid  many  happy  and  holy 
memories  we  told  to  old  frieuds  and  acquaintances  the  flue  record  of  nearly 
forty  different  Presbyterian  Churches.  Here  also  we  found  generosity  and 
a  world  of  human  interest.  Among  the  men  of  the  church  was  one  of  the 
best  loved  of  them  all  an  alumnus  of  Oglethorpe,  Col.  John  W.  Ferguson. 
He  graduated  in  the  year  1857.  three  years  ahead  of  Lanier.  Among  them 
also  was  Perrin  Minter,  son  of  a  man  who  is  loved  and  known  all  over  the 
F.tate  and  a  worthv  son.  .\nd  among  them  were  four  of  the  best  women  God 
ever  made.  They  saw  to  it  aud  old  Laurens  will  have  a  representative  on 
the  Oglethorpe  Board. 


(18)  TO  THE  HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  BLACKSHEAR. 

No  finer  chapter  has  ever  been  written  in  the  Histor.v  of  Oglethorpe 
University  than  that  which  four  men  of  Blackshear.  Ga.,  aided  by  as  noble 
a  band  of  women  as  ever  lived  in  this  world,  wrote  on  Sunday.  February  9. 
The  Presbyterial  Institute,  into  which  the  little  church  of  Blackshear  had 
put  a  fortune,  has  just  closed  its  doors.  It  represented  a  total  loss  to  the 
community  of  one  hundred  Presbyterians  of  something  like  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  had  not  the  Methodists  bought  it  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
cutting  the  loss  in  half.  In  addition  to  that,  a  floating  debt  of  nearly  two 
thousand  dollars  will  have  to  be  met  by  somebody  in  Savannah  Presbytery 
and  it  looks  as  if  that  somebody  is  to  be  the  little  church  at  Blackshenr. 
Unless    somebody    helps    them,    they   expect    to   have   to   pay    this   debt   dollar 


56  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

tion  that  had  valiantly  sustained  a  Presbyterian  high  school 
as  long  as  they  were  able  and  had  just  buried  it  with  infinite 
sorrow,  yet  rallied  around  Oglethorpe  and  placed  their  pas- 
tor on  the  board.  The  name  of  Blackshear  will  always  be 
associated  in  the  memory  of  Oglethorpe  in  the  same  sort  of 
way  that  Leonidas  in  with  Sparta. 

To  those  who  have  never  been  in  South  Georgia,  the  growth 
of  the  city  of  Waycross  will  seem  phenomenal  and  to  those 
who  desire  or  need  some  encouragement  about  the  progress 
of  their  church  it  may  be  added  that  the  growth  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Waycross  during  the  last  twenty  years, 
under  the  efficient  leadership  of  R.  A.  Brown,  has  exceeded 
even  the  rapid  growth  of  the  city.  For  the  membership  of 
that  church  has  increased  from  something  like  thirty  mem- 
bers to  over  four  hundred.  Waycross  is  one  of  the  livest, 
happiest  and  most  industrious  cities  in  the  South,  with  a 
population  of  something  like  that  of  Spartanburg,  S.  C,  or 
Meridian,  Miss.  The  church  is  composed  of  big-hearted  op- 
timists and  when  they  heard  the  story  of  how  Oglethorpe 
was  being  refounded,  they  said :  "We  must  put  a  man  on 
the  board."    Then  they  asked  how  much  Valdosta  did.    After- 


for  dollar.  There  are  about  twenty  families  in  the  church.  Their  greatest 
loss,  however,  is  the  loss  of  confidence,  confidence  that  Presbyterians  of 
Georgia  would  not  let  Blackshear  Institute  die.  Again  the  old  adage  proves 
true  of  Presbyterian  schools,  "It  will  die  like  old  Oglethorpe."  Since  the 
death  of  Oglethorpe  University,  the  grip  of  our  denomination  on  educational 
matters  in  Georgia  has  been  nerveless.  A  black  pall  of  pessimism  has  over- 
spread our  educational  horizon,  nor  will  the  sun  shine  again  till  the  school 
that  lived  for  its  church  and  died  for  its  country  has  been  resurrected. 
And  put  a  pin  down  in  this : 

When  the  dead  begin  to  rise  there  is  no  telling  how  many  of  them  are 
coming    up. 

Let  the  friends  of  Blackshear  and  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  and  Donald 
Frazer  and  all  our  other  loved  and  departed  remember  this. 

And  the  people  of  Blackshear,  those  dear  lovable  Presbyterians,  for  gen- 
erations they  had  been  trained  to  do  their  duty  for  love  of  the  duty,  rather 
than  for  love  of  town  or  glory.  Burdened  as  they  were,  disappointed  .ts 
they  were,  small  as  they  were  in  numbers,  they  nevertheless  put  their  man 
on  the  Board.  It  was  their  pastor,  whom  they  chose,  because  he  has  served 
them  well  and  has  a  faith  in  them  that  makes  all  things  possible. 

Presbyterians  all  over  the  assembly  will  learn  of  this  deed  which  falls 
not  one  whit  short  of  heroism  and  bless  God  that  there  are  such  people  in 
this  world  as  constitute  the  little  Presbyterian  Church  at  Blackshear,  Qa. 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  57 

wards  thev  would  put  two  men  on  the  board.     When  Major 
Varnedoe  reads  this  he  will  smile  out  loud. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  having  too  much  praise  for  a 
good  deed.  If  this  be  so,  then  certainly  Mr.  W.  P.  Ander- 
son^'* has  a  right  to  desire  no  further  mention  made  of  the 
fact  that  he  was  once  the  little  orphan  lad  who  gave  the 
first  fifty  cents  to  found  the  Thornwell  Orphanage.  That 
was  sometime  about  1872.  Since  that  day  many  changes  have 
come  about.  Three  hundred  children  are  in  the  orphanage 
that  these  two  W.  P.'s  planned  for  that  day.  One  of  them 
is  the  president  of  that  orphanage  and  the  other  is  the  pres- 
ident of  a  bank  at  Westminster.  All  of  those  names  sound 
homelike  at  this  oflfice :  W.  P.  Anderson,  W.  P.  Jacobs  and 
Westminster.  Both  the  Westminsters  were  delighted  to 
learn  that  both  the  W.  P.'s  are  to  be  on  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  Oglethorpe  University. 


AT    WESTMINSTER. 

(19)  Verily  we  may  be  permitted  to  make  a  uew  proverb!  Be  sure  your 
friends  will  find  you  out.  Here  are  Editor  Gossett  and  our  old  frieud  whose 
name  is  withheld  tracking  our  movements  around  Westminster  as  if  they  had 
put  Mr.  Burns  on  the  job.  The  next  thing  we  know  they  will  be  telling  about 
that  game  of  hop-skotch  we  had  with  Janie  and  Frank  (wasn't  it?)  and  the 
other  pretty  little  girl,  also  on  Retreat  street.  Oh,  that  was  a  fine  game  of 
bop-3kotch  —  far  ahead  of  turkey  trots  and  such  like.  And  the  editor  learned 
something  about  life  from  that  game  —  both  the  girls  said  it  was  true  that 
you  shouldn't  put  both  of  your  feet  down  unless  you  were  "in  home,"  and  you 
musn't  hop  on  anybody  else's  name  in  your  rounds. 

But  just  look  at  what  they  wrote  about  us! 

VISIT   FROM  A  DISTINGIISHED  EDITOR  OF  ATLANTA.   GA. 

Rev.  Thornwell  Jacobs,  M.A.,  editor-in-chief  of  The  Westminster  Magazine, 
published  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  was  in  the  city  yesterday  in  the  interest  of  Ogle- 
thorpe and  other  business  matters.  Mr.  Jacobs  is  a  fluent  and  interesting 
writer,  and  his  magazine  is  among  the  foremost  in  the  country.  The  West- 
minster Magazine  was  established  about  a  year  ago  and  its  subscription  list 
has  already  gone  to  the  6.000  mark. 

Mr.  Jacobs  is  a  son  of  Rev.  W.  P.  Jacobs,  president  of  the  Thornwell  Or- 
phanage at  Clinton.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Orphanage,  of  Clinton  College,  and 
I'rlnceion    Theologic.-il    i^eniinary,    Princeton,    N.    .1. 

He  was  here  in  the  interest  of  Oglethorpe  University,  a  $2,000,000  college 
to  be  established  in  Atlanta.  Oglethorpe  was  the  first  Presbyterian  college 
south  of  Virginia,  and  the  first  denominational  college  for  men  In  Georgia. 
For  many  years  it  did  a  magnificent  work  at  Milledgeville,  the  then  capital  of 
the  State,  producing  some  of  the  brightest  minds  of  the  country.  Destroyed 
by  the  war,  after  50  years  it  is  to  be  rebuilt.  Mr.  Jacobs  is  vitally  interested 
in  this  work. 


58  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

Then  followed  two  great  Sundays  in  the  old  First  Church 
of  Nashville,-^  Tennessee,  whose  subscription,  largely  through 

Meets   a    Schoolmate. 

One  of  the  printers  of  Tbe  Tribune  is  a  schoolmate  of  Jlr.  Jacobs,  they 
having  been  together  at  the  orphanage.  They  spent  many  happy  days  in  their 
youth  while  there.  This  was  their  lirst  meeting  in  about  eighteen  years  and 
both  were  unusually  glad  to  meet  again. 

At  the  orphanage  they  had  to  sweep  the  yards,  cut  wood,  etc.  Mr.  Jacobs, 
although  well  established  in  the  business  world,  has  not  forgotten  how  to  cut 
wood,  as  evidenced  by  the  following,  and  we  know  he  will  be  surprised  when 
he  reads  this: 

He  happened  to  pass  where  his  schoolmate  lives  in  Retreat  street.  There 
was  a  pile  of  wood  in  the  back  yard  of  the  printer's  home  and  Master  Burt 
Singleton,  son  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Singleton,  was  cutting  the  wood  up.  Mr.  Jacobs 
wanted  to  take  some  exercise,  probably  thinking  of  his  boyhood  days,  so  he 
went  to  the  wood  pile  and  told  Burt  he  wanted  to  cut  some.  He  proceeded  to 
take  off  his  overcoat,  coat  and  vest  and  cuffs.  He  cut  up  a  good-sized  log 
before  stopping.  After  his  task  he  re-arranged  his  clothing  and  came  down 
town,  but  he  will  not  know  that  he  cut  wood  at  his  schoolmate's  house  until 
he  sees  this  paragraph. 

May  success  attebd  him.  The  Westminster  Magazine  and  Oglethorpe  Uni- 
versity. 


(20)  THE  HELP  THAT  CAME  FROM  THE  HERMITAGE. 

How  tbe  Liargfest  Church  in  the  General  Assembly  Did  a  Big'  Things 

in  a  Big   Way. 

One  of  the  really  strategic  churches  of  the  entire  nation  is  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Nashville,  Tenn.  And  one  of  our  really  great  preachers  is 
Dr.  James  I.  Vance,  its  pastor.  Several  years  ago  when  the  plan  to  revive 
Oglethorpe  was  first  taking  shape,  the  Presbyterians  of  Atlanta  held  their 
first  Jubilee  in  the  auditorium.  Seven  thousand  people  heard  Dr.  Vance  speak 
on  that  occasion.  It  was  the  privilege  of  the  editor  of  The  Westminster  to 
extend  to  him  the  invitation  to  visit  Atlanta.  In  his  reply  he  was  thoughtful 
enough  to  ask  whether  there  was  not  in  our  hearts  a  plan  for  the  doing  of 
some  great  deed  for  our  church  and  country.  W^e  wrote  him  of  our  hope  that 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  might  some  day  have  an  institution  that 
would  mean  to  them  what  Vanderbilt  means  to  Methodism,  what  Sewanee 
means  to  Episcopalianism,  what  Boston  means  to  Catholicism.  In  his  address 
later.  Dr.  Vance  took  occasion  to  express  his  own  feelings  in  the  matter  and 
to  call  on  Atlanta  to  lead  the  Southern  Assembly  in  the  doing  of  this  fine  deed. 

It  was  therefore  fitting  that  the  First  Church  of  Nashville  should  be  the 
first  church  of  Oglethorpe  in  Tennessee.  Occupying,  as  it  does,  a  position  of 
commanding  importance  in  the  South,  as  well  as  in  the  Volunteer  State,  the 
great  record  it  made  when  the  Oglethorpe  story  was  presented  i-ecently,  offers 
the  entire  Assembly  a  superb  vista  of  educational  opportunity.  Here  in  a  city 
that  has  no  local  educational  need,  and  large  local  obligations,  we  found  some 
golden-hearted  men  and  women.  There  was  Mrs.  M.  G.  Frierson  with  her  big- 
hearted  generosity,  and  Dr.  C.  L.  Lewis,  whose  magnanimous  liberality  made 
our  coming  the  success  it  was.  There  also  was  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Thompson, 
loved  wherever  he  is  known,  and  Dr.  J.  D.  Blantou.  whose  labors  and  gift 
added  another  man  to  our  board.  And  while  we  are  telling  the  story  of  it, 
let  us  add  the  names  of  Edgar  Foster,  and  Leland  Hume,  and  Duncan  McKay, 
and  Geo.  W.  White.  As  a  result  of  their  fine  enthusiasm  for  Christian  educa- 
tion, the  greatest  church  in  our  Assembly  will  have  a  fitting  delegation  on 
our   board   of  founders. 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  59 

the  fine  liberality  of  Dr.  C.  L.  Lewis,  totaled  nearly  $5,000, 
and  the  First  Church  of  Houston,^  Texas,  with  over  $5,000, 
to  which  the  Second  church-^  of  that  city  added  another 
thousand  the  following  Sunday. 

It  was  in  Texas  that  I  was  told  one  of  the  best  stories 


<21)    OGLETHORPK   CROSSKS   THE   MISSISSIPPI. 

How  It  Took  a  Big:  Rule  to  Measure  the  Hearts  of  the  Texans  and   How  They 

Made  a  Better  Rule  for  Others. 

We  told  one  of  the  Houston  Presbyterians  that  If  Texas  were  to  turn  over 
in  her  sleep  she  would  stretch  from  Mobile  to  Chicago  and  from  Little  Rock 
to  Wilmington.     He  replied,   "Doubtless,   but  she  never  sleeps." 

Of  such  a  live  and  interesting  quality  also  are  her  Piesbyterians.  .\nd  of 
such  a  size  are  the  hearts  of  her  people:  great  big  Texan  hearts,  broad  with 
philanthropy,  full  of  an  optimistic  love  for  Christian  education. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Houston  is  now  one  of  the  two  or  three 
largest  in  our  Assembly  —  in  membership,  in  wealth,  in  love.  As  if  Texas  were 
not  big  enough  to  embrace  her  interests  she  lends  a  helping  hand  to  all  good 
causes,  and  more  particularly  she  did  a  great  day's  work  for  Oglethorpe. 

After  the  Presbyterians  of  Houston  took  charge  of  the  Oglethorpe  move- 
ment for  a  week  all  former  records  were  broken  outside  of  Georgia,  and  all 
records  in  Georgia,  outside  of  Atlanta,  were  equaled.  Six  Houstonians  will  he 
on  the  board  of  directors,  five  of  whom  come  from  the  First  Church,  and  one 
from  that  devoted  band  of  enthusiastic  workers,  the  Second  Church. 

To  appreciate  the  fine  quality  of  this  deed  it  should  be  remembered  that 
Houston  is  farther  away  from  Atlanta  than  is  New  York,  by  time.  It  should 
be  remembered  also  that  the  main  building  of  the  Presbyterian  College  of 
Texas,  at  Austin,  has  Just  been  burned.  It  should  be  remembered  also  that 
the  Presbyterians  of  Texas,  like  those  of  South  Carolina,  are  in  the  midst  of 
a  campaign  to  raise  a  large  sum  for  their  local  state  institutions.  And  it 
should  certainly  be  remembered  that  because  a  man  lives  in  Texas,  where 
hearts  grow  large,  is  no  reason  why  even  Texas  should  bound  his  horizon. 
Knowing  as  they  did  that  they  constituted  the  largest  church  of  the  largest 
state  in  bur  Assembly,  they  determined  to  show  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church  the  quality  of  our  Western  Presbyterianlsm,  and  the.v  did. 

When  some  three  or  four  years  ago  a  series  of  articles  was  published  in 
one  of  our  church  weeklies  from  the  pen  of  the  editor  of  The  Westminster, 
calling  for  the  establishment  of  a  Southern  Presbyterian  University,  It  was  a 
Texas  Presbytery  that  answered  by  that  fine  overture  to  our  General  Assembly 
in  which  Atlanta  was  specifically  named  as  the  desirable  location  for  the  insti- 
tution, the  Presbytery  of  Paris.  It  was  fitting,  therefore,  that  from  Texas 
should  come,  and  to  Texas  should  be  accorded,  the  record  that  has  just  been 
made   at    Houston. 

Readers  of  The  Westminster  will  be  particularly  interested  in  the  fact  that 
these  fine  results  were  obtained  by  the  enthusiastic  co-operation  of  all  the 
Presb.vterians  of  the  city.  Propitious  also  in  its  meaning,  is  the  fact  that 
every  educational  interest  of  Texas  Presbyterianlsm  is  represented  in  the  men 
who   accept   seats   on   the  board   from   Houston. 

We  feel  very  certain  that  the  editor  of  The  Westminster  will  be  forgiven 
his  desire  to  say  a  word  of  appreciation  of  the  pastor  of  the  First  Church  and 
of  his  efforts  in  the  Oglethorpe  cause.  It  is  permitted  a  man  to  speak  well 
for  his  cause,  even  of  his  brother.  And  when  that  brother  not  only  opens  the 
door  of  opportunity,  and  not  only  urges  others  to  enter,  but  goes  in  himself, 
when  to  his  efforts  may  be  attributed  directly  the  success  in  a  great  way  of  a 


60  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

which  I  have  ever  used  in  connection  with  Oglethorpe:  Pro- 
fessor Welch,  one  of  the  best  known  educators  in  that  state, 
reminded  me  of  an  incident  in  the  life  of  Senator  Tillman ; 
in  the  beginning-  of  his  career  when  he  was  trying  to  per- 
suade the  farmers  of  the  state  that  by  voting  together  thev 


great  enterprise  iu  a  great  crisis  —  surely  a  man  may  be  forgiven  bis  s-iyinp: 
"God  bless  you,"  In  his  own  paper,  to  his  own  brother. 

Houston  itself  is  a  great  city.  Since  Atlanta  is  widely  known  in  the 
Southeast,  it  will  be  interesting  for  many  to  learn  that  while  Houston  is  con- 
siderably smaller  than  this  city,  it  has  about  the  same  number  of  sliy-scrapers 
and  presents  about  the  same  metropolitan  aspect.  Furthermore,  their  office 
buildings  are  all  occupied,  and  they  are  building  four  or  five  of  them  every 
year.  One  lay  Houstonian  remarlied  that  there  was  a  forty  story  sky-scraper 
being  built  somewhere  in  the  city.  When  we  asked  his  fellow-citizen  about 
the  location  of  it,  he  answered:     "He  lied;   God  bless  him." 

They  are  digging  a  big  ship  channel,  which  will  put  Houston  on  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  by  way  of  the  Buffalo  Bayou ;  they  are  doing  a  tremendous  business 
in  lumber,  and  rice,  and  oil,  and  cotton  ;  their  bank  clearings  are  so  far  ahead 
of  most  other  cities  of  their  size  that  they  are  being  classed  in  such  matters 
with  the  real  centers  of  the  world  trade;  their  real  estate  men  are  as  alive  us 
Atlanta's,  and  that  is  putting  it  about  as  strong  as  it  may  be  put;  they  are 
building  a  big  city  in  a  big  state,  but  the  biggest  thing  we  saw  in  Texas  was 
the  big-heartedness  of  our  Houston  Presbyterians,  who  sent  this  message  to 
the  men  of  the  East: 

"Rebuild  old  Oglethorpe;  rebuild  her  in  Atlanta,  where  she  died.  But  if 
you  don't  want  her  yourselves,  Houston  has  a  half  million  ready  to  locate  her 
here." 

Of  such  a  fine  quality,  and  of  such  a  generous  quantity  was  the  gift  of 
these  dear  men  and  women  of  Houston,  that  the  whole  Presbyterian  Church 
of  America  should  rejoice  In  it.  Hardly  ever  has  it  been  equaled,  all  things 
considered,  and  the  story  of  it  will  send  a  thrill  of  delight  and  cast  a 
beam  of  hopefulness  all  over  the  South. 


('!3)One   of  the   Most   Remarkable   Records   of   The   All. 

The  Oglethorpe  story  has  been  told  in  something  like  forty  churches,  in 
rarious  parts  of  the  South,  and  there  are  now  more  than  one  hundred  and 
thirty  names  on  her  board  of  directors,  each  of  whom  represents  a  gift  of 
one  thousand  dollars  or  more  toward  her  refunding,  the  largest  of  them  being 
thirty-five  thousand  dollars  ($35,000).  In  these  churches  many  variously  inter- 
esting records  have  been  made,  such  for  example  as  that  of  the  First  Church, 
Houston,  descril)ed  above,  or  the  first  Church.  Columbus.  Gm.,  where  live  men, 
each  representing  a  gift  of  a  thousand  dollars,  accepted  seats  on  the  board 
within  fifteen  minutes  after  the  address  was  completed.  LaGrange,  Ga.,  broke 
all  records  ever  made  on  earth,  so  far  as  we  know,  when  she  gave  nearly  thirty 
dollars  for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  church  of  eighty-five  members 
to  an  institution  a  hundred  miles  away.  Also  such  records  as  Elberton,  where 
a  debt  was  to  be  paid  off  the  next  week;  Milledgeville.  where  it  rained  bull- 
frogs and  slick-backed  lizards;  Dalton,  where  a  new  church  subscription  was 
engaging  everybody's  attention;  Greenwood,  S.  C,  where  they  had  just  bought 
a  new  organ,  purchased  a  new  school,  filled  the  purses  of  the  three  C's  cam- 
paigners,  and    raised   the   preacher's   salary,   in   addition   to   building   an   inter- 


ON     RAVENS'    WINGS  61 

could  obtain  their  full  rights  and  when  he  was  repeatedly 
hearing  that  this  was  an  impossibility  and  that  the  politicians 
of  the  state  had  so  tirm  a  grip  on  the  machinery  of  the  govern- 
ment that  they  would  be  unable  to  wrench  it  from  their  grasp, 
he  made  an  address  before  many  of  his  followers  in  Colum- 
bia, the  capitol  of  the  state,  and  in  the  address  he  told  them 
a  story  which  many  of  oin-  readers  will  doubtless  recall : 

There  was  a  traveler  once,  he  said,  who  went  to  Paris  and 
stopped  at  a  little  pension  there  whose  proprietor  owned  a 
bird  that  had  been  taught  to  sing  one  single  sentence ; 
that  sentence  was,  "I  can't  get  out,  I  can't  get  out,  I  can't 
get  out."  The  bird  sang  it  in  the  morning,  at  noon  and  at 
night.  Finally,  the  song  got  on  the  nerves  of  the  traveler 
and,  going  to  the  proprietor,  he  asked  if  the  bird  could  be 
bought.  The  price  was  named,  the  bird  was  bought,  the 
traveler  took  him  with  cage  and  all  to  his  room,  opened  his 
window,  opened  the  door  of  the  cage  and  said  to  him,  "Now, 

urban,  and  harvesting  the  poorest  crops  of  a  decade;  Clinton,  where  they  have 
a  college  problem  of  their  own ;  Blackshear,  Ga.,  where  the  vespers  of  their 
dead  institute  became  the  matins  of  Oglethorpe;  and  what  shall  1  more  say 
for  time  would  fail  me  to  tell  of  Valdosta  and  Waycross  and  Savannah  and 
Ebenezer,  and  Laurens  and  Greenville,  of  Westminster  also,  and  Marietta,  of 
Rome,  and  Quitman,  of  Nashville  and  Durham,  and  Martinsville  —  who  through 
their  faith  are  subduing  a  kingdom,  working  righteousness  obtaining  a  prom- 
ise and   stopping  the  mouths  of  those  who  say  : 

"See  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  who  once  was  first  in  education, 
BOW  the  only   great  denomination   in  the  South   witiiont  a  University." 

To  all  these  records  we  add  another,  that  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Houston,  Tex.,  this  being  the  thing  that  will  be  remembered  of  ber,  that 
when  the  names  of  those  who  put  a  representative  on  the  Oglethorpe  board 
were  read,  it  was  found  that  every  member  of  her  session,  and  every  member 
of  her  board  of  trustees  has  put  his  signature  there,  and  F.  E.  Fincher,  their 
pastor,  says  that  he  believes  every  deacon  will  be  found  on  a  second  directorate 
Bheet. 

The  Second  rresbyteriaii  Church,  Houston,  Texas,  has  done  the  fol- 
lowing things  in  the  last  six  years:  Received  1,050  members,  800  on  confes- 
sion of  faith ;  established  and  maintained  regular  work  at  five  chapels  in  the 
city;  has  a  yearly  enrollment  in  Sabbath  schools  of  1,100;  has  sent  out  three 
missionaries  to  the  foreign  field,  two  to  the  home  field,  and  has  several  volun- 
teers taking  courses  of  preparation  for  service;  has  increased  in  net  member- 
ebip  from  127  to  850;  has  gathered  a  constituency  that  numbers  between  four 
and  five  thousand  who  attend  the  church  or  its  chapels;  has  given  to  beneficent 
causes  about  ^0,000.  The  congregations  have  increased  steadily  until  an  en- 
larged building  has  become  a  necessity.  Rev.  F.  E.  Fincher,  their  pastor,  a 
Texan  born,  is  the  man  they  unanimously  chose  as  their  representative  on  the 
board. 


62  THE     OGLETHORPE     STORY 

my  little  bird,  you  are  as  free  as  the  air;  go;  fly."  And 
the  little  bird  hopped  into  the  door  of  the  cage  and  sang, 
"I  can't  get  out.  I  can't  get  out,  I  can't  get  out."  For  fifty 
years  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  has  been  singing 
that  miserable  song.  While  the  Baptists  have  been  pouring 
their  thousands  into  Mercer  and  the  Episcopalians  have  been 
building  their  superb  little  university  at  Suwanee  and  the 
Methodists  have  put  their  millions  into  Trinity,  Vanderbilt, 
Emory  and  Dallas,  and  the  Northern  Presbyterians  have 
built  up  a  dozen  great  schools,  it  has  remained  for  us  con- 
stantly to  sing  morning,  noon  and  night,  "I  can't  get  out.  [ 
can't  get  out,  I  can't  get  out." 

Thank  you,  Mr.  Welch. 

The  Third  Church  of  Greenville'^'"'.  South  Carolma.  did  their 
duty  in  a  great  way  by  placing  Dr.  Davis,  their  pastor,  on 
the  board  with  a  subscription  that  amounted  to  m.ore  than 
$1,000,  and  at  Fort  Mill.  South  Carolina,  whose  generous- 
hearted  pastor  had  written  me  that  he  felt  sure  that  nothing 
but  defeat  could  possible  attend  our  efforts,  partly  because 
the  community  had  been  drained  of  all  that  could  be  se- 
cured for  Christian  education  by  my  old  Alma  Mater  at  Clin- 
ton, South  Carolina,  an  unusual  thing  occurred,  for  when  we 
compared  the  subscription  lists,  we  found  that  there  was 
only  one  name  that  was  on  both. 

I  remember  Montgomery^'*,  Alabama,  and  the  song  the 
children  were  singing  in  the  Sunday  school  as  we  approached 


WITH   DR.    DAVIS  AT   CiREENVII.LE. 

(23)  The  Second  Presbyterian  Churcli.  Greenville.  S.  C,  recently  set  for- 
ward the  cause  of  Oglethorpe  T'niversity  in  ;i  uot.ible  wny.  Their  p.nstor.  Dr. 
E.  P.  Davis,  known  everywhere  for  his  l)ro;i(l  minded  interest  in  education, 
had  invited  through  his  Session  the  Sei-retary  of  the  Board  of  Oirnctors  of 
Oglethorpe  University,  to  tell  the  remarkable  story  of  the  refounding  of  that 
iaatitution  by  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church.  When  the  story  was  told 
In  the  Second  Church  last  Sabbath  the  response  was  exceedingly  gratifying. 
The  full  amount  of  $1,000  was  spontaneously  given  and  that  church  will  have- 
Its   representatives   on    the   Board. 


IN   OLD   iMOXTGOMERY. 

(24)  Dr.  H.  M.  Edmond.s  was  the  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Montgom- 
ery. Ala.,  where  he  has  .iust  resigned  to  succeed  Dr.  I'lunkett  in  Birmingham. 
Before    he    left    Montgomery    he    made    arrangements    for    the    telling    of    the 


ON     RAVENS'    WINGS  63 

the  church  on  Sunday  morning,  a  song  that  meant  more  to 
me  than  to  them,  the  encouraging  refrain  of  which  came  to 
my  ears  at  a  needed  moment,  "God  will  take  care  of  you." 
I  can  see  \V.  B.  Tanner  as  he  stood  in  the  aisle  after  the 
service  and  wrote  his  name  for  $1,000.  as  also  the  young 
men  and  women,  led  by  Thomas  L.  Hackett,  who  made  up 
another  $1,000.  It  was  on  that  Sunday  that  I  learned  some- 
thing of  the  warm  heart  of  old  Alabama  for  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  Oglethorpe.  I  have  told  the  story  of  that 
Sunday  all  over  the  state  and  have  yet  to  see  the  town  or 
city  of  Alabama  that  is  not  willing  to  follow  the  lead  of 
the   First   church   of   their   capitol   city. 

The  session  of  the  First  Church,  Augusta-"',  told  me  after 
a  long  conference,  that  I  might  have  the  liberty  of  their  pul- 
pit with  the  understanding  that  I  would  devote  a  part  of 
my  address  to  the  mention  of  a  canvass  for  funds  for  a  local 


Oglethorpe  story  to  his  people.  We  foiiurl  that  it  «:is  from  this  elm  roll 
that  one  of  the  Albania  Directors  ha  dcoine  in  the  days  when  Oglethorpe 
was  the  Princeton  of  the  South,  and  it  was  also  in  this  church  that  many 
of  the  best  of  her  friends  of  former  days  were  to  be  found.  The  intimate 
ties  that  bound  the  old  state  of  Alabama  to  the  old  Ojrlethorpe  were  ap- 
parent everywhere.  Sidney  Ljuiier,  Oglethorpe  Kraduatt*,  greatest  of  all 
8«uthern-born  poetM,  had  once  played  their  orgHn,  and  the  children  of  her 
alumni  rejoiced  to  hear  that  the  institution  of  their  fathers  was  being  re- 
founded.  It  was  a  tine  day  for  Oglethorpe  and  we  found  two  men,  each  of 
whom  represented  a  gift  of  one  thousand  dollars  or  more  to  the  rebuilding 
of  the  in.stitution.  The  generosity  of  this  tiiif  olil  church  has  m.-ide  a  good 
opening  for  Oglethorpe  in  a  great  state. 


(85)  Dr.  Jo**ph  B.  Sevier  is  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Augusta,  Ga.  This  is  the  church  whose  former  pastor.  Dr.  Samuel  K. 
Talmadge,  was  called  to  the  first  presidency  of  Oglethorpe  and  whose  later 
pastor.  Dr.  Joseph  R,  Wilson,  was  intimately  associated  with  the  progress 
■nd  development  of  that  institution.  It  was  to  be  expected,  therefore, 
that  this  church  would  play  her  part  well  in  the  refounding  of  Oglethorpe. 
This  she  did  in  good  old-fashioned  style.  After  the  story  was  told  some 
Ave  men,  each  representing  a  gift  of  one  thousand  dollars,  were  added  to 
the  Board  of  Directors  of\  Oglethorpe.  This  fine  generosity  is  in  keeping  with 
the  hiator.v  of  a  church  in  which  the  Sonthem  .•Xssembl.v  waN  organized,  ii 
ci>«rch  that  has  never  yet  failed  to  do  its  part  in  any  labor  and  to  bear 
it»  part  of  the  burden  of  any  work. 

ThLs  record  of  a  month's  work  is  one  the  reading  of  which  will  bring 
•atisfactlon  to  all  lovers  of  education  and  the  friends  of  Oglethorpe  will 
particularly  rejoice  in  so  large  and  so  important  additions  to  the  forces 
that  are  behind  her  resurrection. 


64  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

home  mission,  which  they  would  conduct  the  following  week ; 
also  that  I  would  ask  for  no  subscription  for  less  than  $200. 
It  speaks  volumes  for  the  character  of  that  church  that  I 
see  before  me  here,  the  names  of  men  and  women  whose 
subscriptions  totaled  $5,475. 

I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  fine  words  of  a  lady  from  Phil- 
adelphia who  gave  a  thousand  dollars  for  her  pastor.  Dr. 
Sevier,  that  he  might  be  on  our  board  of  founders,  nor  the 
other  splendid  gifts  and  names  who  are  written  on  the  Ogle- 
thorpe book,  some  of  them  with  the  request  that  their  gift 
might  never  be  mentioned.  Thus,  the  First  Church  of  Au- 
gusta, in  which  the  Southern  Assembly  was  organized  and 
from  whose  pastorate,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  presi- 
dents of  the  old  Oglethorpe  college  had  once  been  drawn, 
wrote  their  name  highest  of  all  the  Georgia  churches,  out- 
side of  Atlanta  in  the  point  of  amount  given,  to  rebuild  their 
university. 

It  was  the  following  Sunday  in  the  First  Church  at  Atlanta, 
after  the  sermon  that  Mr.  James  R.  DuBose,  one  of  the  best 
brothers-in-law  that  the  Presbyterian  church  has  in  all  the 
world,  put  the  name  of  his  son,  James,  on  our  board,  and 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Phillips  made  the  first  subscription  in  the  At- 
lanta campaign  which  was  to  follow  later,  of  $500. 

A  happy  visit  was  that  to  the  First  Church  at  Jacksonville^*, 
even  though  their  recently  installed  pastor.  Dr.  Junius  B. 
French,  was  away  for  the  Sabbath.  The  total  of  their  sub- 
scription was  $3,125,  and  it  was  all  given  as  a  man  should 
give  to  his  God. 

"I  am  in  favor  of  that  university  proposition,"  wired  John 


(26)  The  record  in  Jacksoanville  was  an  equally  fine  opening  in  an  equal- 
ly Important  field.  Dr.  .Tunius  B.  French  has  recently  been  called  to  Jack- 
sonville and  he  has  made  for  himself  an  enthusiastic  and  devoted  following 
In  the  First  Church  of  that  city.  As  a  consequence  of  the  telling  of  the 
Oglethorpe  story  in  his  pulpit,  there  will  lie  some  three  members  of  the  Board 
from  his  church.  Coming  as  they  do  from  the  largest  church  in  the  largest 
city  of  the  Synod  of  Florida,  they  form  an  enepicions  opening:  for  the  work 
In  Florida. 


ON     KAVENS'    WINGS  65 

W.  Stagg,  from  Orlando^',  as  also  were  his  people  the  fol- 
lowing Sunday,  which  may  be  shown  by  their  subscription 
of  over  $2,000.  I  know  not  which  to  be  the  more  grateful 
to,  their  brilliant  pastor  or  their  own  good  hearts. 

I  see  in  the  record  that  the  next  two  Sabbaths  were  spent 
in  Atlanta  attending  the  Pan- Presbyterian  Jubilee.  It  had 
been  my  good  fortune  to  suggest  to  the  Presbyterian  Min- 
isters' Association  of  Atlanta,  the  possibility  of  holding  a 
session  of  each  of  the  four  great  Presbyterian  Assemblies 
simultaneously  in  our  city.  Interestingly  enough,  this  sug- 
gestion was  first  made  in  the  initial  number  of  the  West- 
minster Magazine,  which  also  contained  the  editorial  calling 
for  the  re-establishment  of  Oglethorpe.  The  development 
of  the  two  plans  had  gone  on  side  by  side  so  that  at  the 
time  of  the  gathering  of  the  Assemblies,  the  Oglethorpe  plan 
Avas  in  a  fair  way  of  accomplishment.  On  the  floor  of  our 
own  assembly,  on  the  motion  of  the  chairman  of  the 
committee  which  the  Assembly  had  a}:)pointed  to  inves- 
tigate the  feasibility  of  the  establishment  of  the  uni- 
versity and  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Assembly's  stand- 
ing committee  on  education,  I  was  invited  to  tell  the  Assem- 
bly the  story  of  our  work  to  date.  It  is  not  a  part  of  this 
book  to  describe  the  marvelous  gathering  of  Presbyterians, 
which  was  said  to  be  the  largest  in  number  that  had  ever 
assembled  in  the  history  of  the  world,  in  that  it  comprised 
the  Southern,  the  Northern,  the  United  and  the  Associated 
Reformed  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  tree,  but  it  is  per- 
missible  in   this   paragra])h   to   say   that   the   direct   indiicnce 


(27)  The  storj-  of  what  was  done  at  Orlaiulo  is  eqiially  interestinp. 
Orlando  is  really  in  Florida,  and  Florida  is  in  (Orlando,  jiist  as  Jackson- 
ville is  in  the  United  States  and  the  United  States  in  .Jacksonville.  To  one 
who  has  ever  been  in  Central  Florida  where  «ver.v  private  citizen  has  an 
•range  grove  in  his  front  yard  and  a  lake  in  his  back  yard,  it  is  unnecessary 
to  attempt  any  description  of  the  wonderful  beauty  of  that  section  and  it 
■would  be  impossible  to  give  to  any  one  who  has  not  been  there  an  adequate 
conception  of  the  beauties  of  that  charming  country  where  the  crane  is  as 
common  as  the  jay  bird  and  the  leaf  of  every  tree  Is  a  flower.  Beautiful 
as  Is  the  country,  It  is  no  more  beautiful  than  the  people,  as  Oglethorpe 
knows  quite  well,  for  there  are  now  two  members  of  her  Board  of  Direc- 
tors  from   the  city   of   Orlando. 


66  ■  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

of  this  great  gathering  was  felt  in  a  large  way,  in  the  later 
canvass  during  the  Atlanta  campaign  towards  which  we  are 
steadily  marching  in  this   story. 

The  remainder  of  the  spring  was  spent  in  the  Greene  Street 
Church  of  Augusta^^,  in  the  two  churches  that  comprise  the 
Lawr«iceville^®,  Georgia,  group,  in  the  beautiful  stone  church 
at  Vick»burg^**,  Miss.,  and  in  the  historic  old  town  of  Car- 
tersville^*,  Georgia.  Each  of  these  four  did  their  duty  and 
added  their  links  to  the  hitherto  unbroken  chain. 


(28)  Up  to  the  time  that  tlie  Secretary  of  the  Board  visited  the  Qpeen-i 
Street  Church  in  Augusta,  the  cities  of  Houston,  Texas,  and  Colambus,  (Jeor- 
gla,  were  the  only  two  who  could  boast  of  having  six  or  more  men  on  the 
Oglethorpe  Board,  Atlanta,  of  course  being  excepted.  A  previous  visit  to  the 
First  Church,  Augusta,  had  opened  'the  way  for  that  city  to  join  the  other 
three  and  make  it  the  "Big  Four."  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that  they 
did  It.  These  three  cities,  therefore,  now  stand  as  the  leaders  in  numbers, 
though  not  in  proportion  to  membership.  Nashville,  Tennessee,  is  .a  clos*; 
fifth. 


(88)  The  smallest  memberslilp  to  which  the  Oglethorpe  story  has  been 
told  is  that  of  the  church  at  Lawrenceville,  Georgia,  the  town  you  can- 
not see  from  the  railroad.  There  are  probably  some  sixty  members  in  ac- 
tive service  in  this  organization  and  another  sixty  in  old  Pairview  the 
country  mother-church  which  is  joined  with  Lawrenceville  undor  the '  pas- 
torate of  Rev.  J.  M.  Harris.  These  two  churches,  mother  and  daughter, 
have  not  only  the  same  pastor,  but  their  church  structure  being  the  same, 
one  photograph  will  do  for  both.  They  are  a  fine,  sturdy  people  and  their 
thousand  dollars  means  all  the  more  because  of  the  smallness  of  their  num- 
bers.    Their   generosity    is    another   triumph    for    their   University. 


(30)  Out  at  Vicksburgr,  Mi89i»sippi,  is  a  body  of  Presbyterians  who  have 
built  the  only  stone  church  in  the  state  under  the  leadeship  of  Dr.  .T.  S. 
Hillhouse.  It  is  a  magnificent  and  well-appointed  structure  costing  in  the 
neighborhood  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  Not  all  of  it  is  quite  paid 
for  and  there  were  other  pressing  local  duties  on  this  church  when  the  Ogle- 
thorpe secretary  told  them  the  story  of  the  refounding  of  the  old  school 
that  perished  in  their  environs.  Then,  too.  the  boll-weevil  and  the  spring 
floods  were  looking  over  the  fence  at  them  as  they  made  their  subscriptions. 
But  all  that  did  not  hinder  them.  There  are  now  two  men,  each  represent- 
ing a  gift  of  one  thousand  dollars,  on  the  Board  from  Vicksburg.  Dr. 
Hillhouse  had  written  the  secretary:  "You  may  come  if  you  want  to  try 
it  I  am  willing  to  see  a  miracle  performed."  As  he  left  the  church  build- 
ing, he  remarked  with  a  smile:  "Well,  I  saw  it."  Given  such  people,  mira- 
cles are  easy. 


($1)  As  it  was  also  at  t'artersvlle.  Georgia.  There  they  had  first  torn 
down  their  building  and  built  it  over  and  then  added  to  that.  The  expense 
of  it  had  been  something  heavy.  They  now  have  a  beautiful  auditorium 
for  which  the  congregatiom  h«d  s.-icrificed.  The  secretary  was  told  that  if 
he  would  wait   until  later  it  could   be  done.     But   Oglethorpe  needs   not  dol- 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  67 

When  T.  M.  McMillan  of  the  old  Govemtnent  Street 
Church,  in  Mobile-'*',  Alabama,  told  me  of  his  brother's  con- 
nection with  old  Oglethorpe  college  and  Mrs.  Burgett  and 
Mrs.  Bestor  added  $500  to  his  $1,000,  that  historic  old  church 
was  added  to  the  Oglethorpe  list  in  a  splendid  way  and  the 
following   Sunday   at   Galveston*^   Texas,    the   city    that   had 

lars  alone,  but  a  little  Mood  that  she  may  be  born  again.  Some  of  the  me« 
and  churches  who  are  resurrecting  her  have  gotten  down  under  the  skiu 
to  bring  out  their  gifts.  That  is  what  Carteraville  did.  By  such  people  as 
these  are  all   things  done  that  are  worth   while. 


(32)  Hare  you  ever  been  to  Mobile  and  the  famous  old  OoTernnient  Street 
church  there?  Dr.  Carr  was  the  pastor,  but  left  them  for  Fort  Worth  the 
v«ry  Sunday  before  the  Oglethorpe  story  was  told  in  their  pulpit.  That 
mad«  the  Oglethorpe  secretary  an  absolute  stranger  in  Mobile  when  he  faced 
this  congregation.  One  of  the  things  about  the  fine  old  Government  Street 
church,  however,  is  this,  no  man  whose  cause  is  wo'rthy  is  ever  a  stranger 
in  this  church.  This  the  Secretary  found  out  quickly  and  much  to  big  de- 
light when  the  address  was  over  and  Mr.  T.  M.  McMillan  l>egan  talking  to 
him,  "I  hail  a  brother  in  Oglethorpe,"  he  was  saying,  "he  was  an  older 
brother,  whom  we  loved  twice  over.  He  died  there.  1  have  a  thousand  for 
Oglethorpe."  We  found  also  that  Dr.  Burgett,  for  forty  years  the  revered 
and  beloved  pastor  of  the  church,  had  received  his  doctorate  from  Oglethorpe. 
They  say  in  Alabama  that  it  is  a  toss-up  between  the  Government  Street 
and  the  First  Church  of  Selma  for  being  the  banner  church  of  the  Synod, 
though  Dr.  Edmunds  (now  of  South  Highlands)  maintains  that  his  new 
charge  is  even  with  the  best.  There  was  Montgomery,  First — was  there  ever 
a  finer  reception  given  anything  than  the  way  they  ushered  off  the  Ogle- 
thorpe campaign  in  Alabama  with  two  thousand  dollars?  No  Alabama  churcli 
has  passed  that  yet,  although  Government  Street  aud  the  First  church, 
Birmingham,   have  equaled   it. 

The  story  of  the  way  in  which  Oglethorpe  University  is  rising  from  the 
dead  has  had  no  more  fascinating  chapter  written  Into  it  than  this  last 
in  which  the  Good  hand  has  told  a  wonderful  story  of  generosity  an  the 
part  of  a  people  whose  business  it  is,  in  part  to  "go  down  to  the  sea  in 
ships." 


(33)  There  Is>  Galveston.  It  has  been  a  good  many  years  now  since  the 
great  storm  swept  that  city  and  thousands  lost  tlieir  lives  in  the  waves.  No 
more  terrible  story  of  disaster  was  ever  chronicled  on  this  continent.  la 
addition  to  the  lives  lost  were  the  millious  of  dollars  of  property  and  the 
terrible  blow  of  fear.  Then  the  people  of  tRat  plucky  city  took  hold  again. 
They  resurrected  their  city  from  the  w.ives.  They  built  a  great  sea-wall 
to  keep  back  the  waters  of  the  great  deep.  They  raised  the  level  of  their 
city.  They  built  a  giant  causeway  connecting  their  island  with  the  mainland 
■sable  by  train  and  trolley  and  motor.  And  to  crown  their  achievement  they 
built  beautiful  hotel  Galvez,  overlooking  the  sea-wall  and  facing  the  gulf, 
unafraid. 

Of  course,  it  was  to  be  expected  that  a  city  freshly  risen  from  tbe  water* 
should  know  the  fellowship  of  suffering  for  the  University  Just  rising  from 
the  ashes.     They    did.     Dr.    R.    M.    Hall,    their   pastor,   is   now   on    the   Board 


68  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

risen  from  the  storms,  sent  her  message  to  the  university 
that  was  rising  from  the  flames,  accompanied  with  a  thousand 
dollars  as  an  expression  of  their  duty  and  interest. 

When  the  first  article  was  published,  as  hitherto  described, 
in  the  Presbyterian  of  the  South,  calling  on  the  Assembly 
to  establish  a  Presbyterian  university,  the  first  response  made 
to  the  call  was  a  postal  card  from  Rev.  J.  C.  Barr  of  the 
LaFayette  Presbyterian  Church,  New  Orleans^^.  I  recall  our 
prayer,  in  his  study  before  the  story  was  told  to  his  people 
that  morning.  He  asked  me  what  I  wanted  and  T  told  him 
a  representative  from  his  church  on  our  board  of  directors. 
The  man  had  the  audacity  to  pray  for  two !  After  the  ser- 
vice, his  people,  following  his  own  generous  personal  sub- 
scription, made  up  more  than  $1,000.  and  that  generous- 
hearted  friend,  R.  P.  Hyams,  learning  that  the  congreg.T- 
tion  wanted  him  to  represent  them  on  the  board,  gave  an- 

of  Directors  of  Oglethorpe,  put  there  t>y  his  generous  people  and  represent- 
ing a  gift  of  a  thousand  dollars  to  the  University.  Dr.  Hall  is  a  grand- 
fion  of  Oglethorpe,  his  father  having  graduated  from  that  institution  in  the 
early  liftiee. 


(34)  Dr.  J.  C.  Barr  is  the  pastor  of  the  Lafayette  church  in  New  Orleans. 
For  earnest,  prayerful  devotion  to  the  job  of  the  Presbyterian  ministry, 
commend  him.  Dr.  Barr  is  doing  a  great  work  in  New  Orleans.  Some  day 
when  you  are  in  that  city  next  ask  some  one  to  direct  you  to  the  Presbyte- 
rian Hospital  and  then  ask  some  of  the  ladies  of  Dr.  Barr's  church  to  tell 
you  the  story  of  it.  from  the  time  it  started  on  a  prayer  and  a  dollar  or 
two.  Some  people  have  faith  after  the  event.  Dr.  Barr  and  his  people  had 
theirs   beforehand. 

When,  some  three  years  ago,  the  present  Oglethorpe  Secretary  issued 
a  call  for  building  of  a  Southern  Presbyterian  University  by  publishing  an 
article  thereon  in  one  of  our  papers,  there  came  in  answer  to  It  one  lone 
reply.  It  was  a  card  from  .T.  C.  Barr,  saying :  "I  am  with  you !"  His 
church  backed  up  that  card  with  over  two  thousand  dollars  a  few  Sabbaths 
ago,  and  put  Dr.  Barr  as  one  of  two  men  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
Oglethorpe.  The  Secretary  asked  them  for  one.  Dr.  Barr  asked  God  for 
two.  Two  it  became.  That  will  give  the  reader  a  glimpse  into  the  mean- 
ing of  the  motto  of  the  coming  university.  It  reads:  Manu  Dei  Resurrexlt. 
"By  the  hand  of  God  she  rose  from  the  dead." 

Any  man  who  cares  to  do  it  may  iuQuire  into  the  struggle  that  this 
man  and  his  church  are  having  for  the  cause  of  Presbyterianism  in  New 
Orleans.  After  he  has  learned  all  about  it,  he  will  wonder  how  they  ever 
found  time  to  aid  Oglethorpe.  But  that  is  one  of  the  strong  points  with 
people  and  churches  who  are  really  doing  things — they  want  to  do  more 
things.  It  is  always  the  liberal  man  who  has  money  to  give.  It  is  always 
the  chnrch  that  helps  outside  causes  which  has  money  to  look  after  its 
own  affairs. 


ON    RAVENS'    WINGS  69 

Other  thousand  in  order  that  his  pastor  might  also  he  with 
him. 

The  Sabbath  on  which  the  story  was  told  to  the  members 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  Birminghaun-*^,  was  raw 

and  windy.  I  remember  still  the  sunHght  that  broke  upon  the 
tower  of  their  building  as  I  turned  the  corner  walking  hur- 
riedly to  the  appointment.  I  remember  also  being  told  that 
it  seemed  useless  to  attempt  the  presentation  of  a  call  on 
that  morning,  the  congregation  was  so  small.  The  city  was 
in  the  throes  of  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  campaign,  the  subscriptions 
previously  made  to  a  church  at  Auburn,  I  believe  it  was,  where 
the  state  technological  school  is  located,  had  just  been  called ; 
the  Presbyterian  college  for  girls  had  just  begun  a  cam- 
paign in  Birmingham,  and  the  Presbyterian  college  for  boys 
at  Anniston  was  looking  to  this  church  for  a  special  con- 
tribution in  a  campaign  which  they  also  were  waging  with 
headquarters  in  Birmingham.  Yet  after  the  service,  the  sub- 
scription was  found  to  amount  to  approximately  $2,000,  and 
the  chain  was  unbroken. 

I  believe  that  Dr.  D.  A.  Plank,  of  the  Central  Churches,  will 
bear  me  out  in  saying  that  few  more  remarkable  Sabbath 
mornings  have  ever  been  enjoyed  than  the  one  on  which  they 


(35)  That  Brings  ns  to  Birmingham.  It  also  brinjsrg  us  to  the  first  real  bliz- 
zard of  the  winter  and  a  cold  raw  day.  Also  to  a  host  of  other  so-called 
difficulties.  For  example,  on  the  Sabbath  on  which  the  Oglethorpe  story 
was  told  in  the  First  church,  Birmingham,  there  were  no  less  than  five 
different  campaigns  for  money  going  on  in  that  city  and  church.  One  was 
for  a  male  and  one  for  a  female  college.  One  was  for  a  home  mission  church. 
The  other  two  were  for  a  free  medical  dispensary  and  Associated  Charities, 
respectively.  It  looked  so  much  like  failure  that  even  Dr.  Foster  thought 
success  Impossible.  The  Secretary  asked  for  two  members  of  the  Board,  this 
time.  He  got  two.  Each  represents  a  gift  of  a  thousand  dollars  to'  the 
enterprise. 

Come  we  now  to  the  Central  Church.  Dr.  Planck's  church,  of  Mobile.  Next 
Sunday,  November  the  sixteenth,  the  story  will  be  told  to  them.  As  this  line 
is  being  written  it  is  twenty-three  minutes  to  twelve  o'clock  on  Thursday,  the 
thirteenth  of  November.  Here  is  a  prophecy.  We  prophesy  that  the  Central 
church    will    put    a    representative    on    the    Board    of    Directors    of    Oglethorpe 

University   next    Sunday These   dots    represent   the   time   taken    to 

go  to  Mobile  and  tell  that  story  to  that  congregation. 

Later.— Friday.  November  21,  191."}.  They  did  it.  Put  Dr.  Planck  on  the 
Board.  Total  Mobile  subscription,  $.V500.00.  \ou  can  set  your  watch  by 
Presbyterian   generosity. 


70  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

sxir]  :  Ised  even  themselves  by  the  result  of  their  generosity, 
when  nearly  a  score  of  their  members  crowded  around  the 
table  after  the  service,  to  add  their  names  to  the  Educa- 
tional Honor  Roll  of  Southern  Presbyterianism. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Help  of  the  Psychic  City. 

We  have  come  now  in  our  story  to  that  critical  time  in 
November  when  the  hour  for  the  inauguration  of  the  At- 
lanta campaign  at  last  struck.  On  my  desk  here  before  me 
is  a  large  scrap  book,  into  which  I  often  look  for  encour- 
agement and  to  no  page  oftener  than  to  those  which  con- 
tain the  story  written  in  hope  and  faith  by  all  three  of  our 
great  Atlanta  dailies,  telling  of  the  work  thnt  had  been  done 
uj)  to  November  23,  1913,  and  prophesying  that  the  city  of 
Atlanta  would  now  do  her  part  to  clinch  the  great  educa- 
tional project. 

It  was  no  matter  of  surprise  outside  of  Atlanta  that  they 
should  set  about  to  do  this  enthusiastically,  for  wherever 
the  story  had  been  told,  faith  in  the  ability  and  willingness 
of  the  great  city  to  do  this  thing  had  been  everywhere  pro- 
claimed, yet  when  the  actual  moment  for  the  inauguration 
of  the  campaign  had  come,  the  time  seemed  most  inoppor- 
tune to  some  and  among  these  were  more  than  one  of  the 
very  best  business  men  of  the  city.  At  a  meeting  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens,  called  to  discuss  the  time  for  the  campaign,  it 
was  necessary  to  press  the  urgency  of  the  matter,  but  after 
this  was  done,  there  were  no  voices  to  say  no  to  the  motion 
of  Robert  C.  Alston  that  we  proceed  now  to  raise  the  sum 
of  $250,000  as  the  local  bonus  for  the  location  of  Oglethorpe 
University  in  Atlanta.  It  is  enough  to  add  that  business  con- 
ditions steadily  grew  worse  from  that  day  for  fully  two  years. 
It  is  hard  to  nredict  what  would  have  happened  had  the  can- 
vass been  postponed. 

Once  resolved  upon,  it  was  a  matter  of  but  a  few  days  to 
put  the  resolution  into  effect.  A  large  amount  of  work  had 
been  done  in  advance,  complete  lists  of  the  probable  sub- 
scribers had  been  prepared  and  a  large  number  of  liberal 
subscriptions  had  been  previously  made.  Among  these  we  have 
alreadv  mentioned   the   seventv  Atlanta   men,  each  of  whom 


12  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

had  given  $1,000  to  the  enterprise.  To  these  should  be  added 
the  generous  promise  of  Mr.  S.  M.  Inman  to  give  $5,000  w^hen 
the  sum  of  $250,000  had  been  raised  and  an  additional  $5,000 
when  the  total  of  $395,000  had  been  raised,  and  an  additional 
$25,000  when  a   total  of  $875,000  had   been   raised. 

We  record  with  gratitude  that  the  first  two  installments 
of  this  pledge  have  already  been  paid  and,  inasmuch  as 
Mr.  Inman  gave  a  total  of  eight  years  for  the  earning  of 
the  third,  it  seems  likely  that  this  additional  $25,000  v/ill  be 
won   for  education  before  that  time  has   elapsed. 

I  shall  ever  think  with  gratitude  of  those  three  great  pa- 
pers of  Atlanta  and,  inasmuch  as  a  paper  is  but  the  expres- 
sion of  the  man  who  controls  it,  the  hour  will  never  come 
when  those  who  love  Oglethorpe  University  should  cease  to 
bear  the  names  of  James  R.  Gray,  Clark  Howell  and  Wil- 
liam Randolph  Hearst  in  grateful  remembrance.  It  would 
seem  impossible  for  any  one  of  these  three  men  to  have  done 
more  than  the  other,  for  each  played  his  part  so  generously, 
so  liberally  and  so  powerfully  that  any  comparison  between 
them   would   indeed  be   invidious. 

Clark  Howell,  of  the  Atlanta  Constitution,  had  watched 
the  campaign  from  its  very  beginning  with  an  appreciative 
eye  and  scarcely  a  month  had  passed  that  there  was  not  some 
encouraging  editorial,  calling  attention  to  the  progress  of 
the  movement,  appearing  in  his  great  morning  daily. 

W.  R.  Hearst,  the  owner  of  the  Atlanta  Georgian,  who 
was  represented  in  this  city  by  Mr.  Keats  Speed  and  Mr. 
Foster  Coates,  devoted  all  the  powers  of  the  Georgian's  pub- 
licity to  the  same  fine  end  and  no  one  who  was  at  all 
familiar  with  the  campaign  will  ever  forget  the  day  ^Yhen 
Joh»  Temple  Graves  read  the  telegram  from  Mr.  Hearst, 
subscribing  $5,000  to  the  university.  It  was  to  Mr.  James 
R,  Gray,  of  the  Journal,  that  the  duty  and  honor  fell  of 
leading  the  city  that  he  loves,  in  a  task,  which,  considering 
the  times,  was  a  herculean  one.  Ever  ready  to  devote  the 
powers  of  his  great  paper  to  the  best  interests  of  Atlanta, 
he   felt  even   more  keenly  the  importance   of   this  particular 


THE     HELP    OF    THE     PSYCHIC    CITY  7i 

project  because  of  his  association  with  the  movement  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  and  as  one  of  the  very 
first  men  to  make  his  personal  subscription  of  $1,000  to  the 
enterprise.  Never  a  day  of  campaign  came  that  The  Journal 
did  not  have  its  front  page  dominated  by  the  news  of  the 
work  of  the  committees,  while  at  every  critical  hour,  his  edi- 
torial columns  were  filled  with  inspiration  and  encourage- 
ment. 

It  is  true  that  of  the  $250,000  constituting  the  Atlanta  pop- 
ular subscription,  approximately  $125,000  had  already  been 
pledged  in  advance,  but  I  bear  witness  as  one  who  knows 
the  truth,  when  I  say  that  thfe  remainder  of  that  subscrip- 
tion would,  in  all  human  probability,  never  had  been  secured 
but  for  the  masterful  leadership  of  Mr.  Gray. 

And  I  think  it  will  not  detract  from  the  statement  to  say 
that  the  glory  of  Atlanta  lies  in  the  fact  that  there  were 
other  men,  also,  without  whom  the  work  could  not  have  been 
done.  I  think  of  Captain  James  W.  English,  chairman  of 
our  campaign  executive  committee,  and  of  the  true  and 
staunch  manner  in  which  he  stood  by  the  enterprise  from 
its  very  beginning.  It  was  another  of  the  fine  enterprises 
to  which  he  has  set  his  hand  for  the  good  of  the  city  of 
his  adoption. 

I  think  of  Ivan  E.  Allen,  present  Chairman  of  our  Finance 
Committee,  and  then  Vice-Chairman  of  the  Campaign  Execu- 
tive Committee,  whose  daily  word  of  encouragement  at  the 
workers*  banquets,  whose  wisdom  and  experience,  won  prev- 
iously by  just  such  labors  in  other  spheres,  made  him  able 
to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  him  who  was  weary  and  whose 
kindly  and  encouraging  smile  was  a  positive  asset  to  the 
various  committeemen  whom  he  led. 

I  think  of  Dr.  Chestcn  King,  indefatigable  worker,  who 
devoted  his  whole  time  and  that  of  his  automobile  and  driver 
for  nearly  six  weeks,  to  the  work  of  the  campaign  and  whose 
committee  led  all  other  committees  in  the  securing  of  sub- 
scriptions for  Oglethorpe.  The  story  of  the  campaign  could 
not  have  been  written  without  him. 


74  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

I  think  of  Dr.  H.  J.  Gaertner,  who  heard  the  message  on 
the  very  first  day  that  it  was  delivered  from  any  pulpit,  at 
Milledgeville,  Georgia,  and  who  became  so  interested  that, 
paying  his  own  expenses,  he  used  to  come  up  to  Atlanta  week 
ends  to  aid  in  the  preliminary  work  of  the  campaign  and 
who,  during  the  entire  canvass,  rendered  services  that  were 
utterly  invaluable. 

And  I  think  of  that  band  of  workers^^,  every  one  of  whose 

(36)  The  canvatiKirig  committees,  every  one  of  them,  did  good,  hard  work, 
Some  of  them,  for  one  reason  or  another,  secured  t)etter  results,  but  every 
man's   work    counted. 

The  two  leading  committees  in  the  campaign  were  those  of  Dr.  J.  Cheston 
King  and  L.  P.  Bottenfield.  Dr.  King's  committee  led  in  the  total  amount 
cf  money  riiised  by  something  more  than  $900,  but  Mr.  Botteufleld's  com- 
mittee secured  an  amazing  number  of  small  subscriptions  ranging  all  the  way 
from  a  dollar  in  cash  up  to  sums  of  $250  to  $500.  The  exceptionally  fine  work 
of  these  two  committees  has  been  widely  applauded  and  complimented. 

There  was  always  a  generous  rivalry  among  the  committees  and  when 
Fomebody  got  ahead  one  day,  the  other  fellow  worked  harder  the  next.  It 
was  this  spirit  and  this  work  which  built  Oglethorpe. 

The  central  committee,  as  the  executive  committee  was  called  in  the  can- 
vass, naturally  secured  the  largest  amount  of  contributions  because  of  its 
facilities  for  solicitation,  but  it  was  in  no  sense  in  competition  with  the 
other  or  individual  committees,  and  the  honors  went  to  those  headed  by  Mr. 
Bottenfield   and    Dr.    King. 

The  total  raised  by  each  committee  during  the  three  weeks'  campaign 
was  as  follows : 

Joel  Hunter's  committee,  $2,449.50;  Charles  P.  Glover's  committee.  $G.413 : 
Dr.  WilUam  Owens,  $6,440;  L.  P.  Bottenfield's  committee,  $14,863.50;  Harris 
White's  committee,  $3,965;  Henry  Schaul's  committee,  $6,960;  Porter  Langs- 
ton's  committee,  $1,000  (this  amount  went  to  the  Central  Committee)  ;  F.  E. 
Callaway's  committee,  $885;  C.  D.  Montgomery's  committee,  $3,352;  A.  W. 
Farlinger's  committee,  $3,260;  Dr.  J.  Cheston  King's  committee,  $15,702;  Ad 
Men's  Club  committee,  $3,815;  John  A.  Brice's  committee.  $6,086;  Dr.  H.  J. 
Gaertner's  committee,  $7,332;  J.  R.  A.  Hobson's  committee.  $3,301.50;  Central 
Committee,    $41,306. 

Here  is  the  Oglethorpe  Honor  Roll — the  men  who  did  the  actual  work  in 
the  whirlwind  campaign  December  20th,  to  help  raise  $250,000  for  Oglethorpe 
University    in    Atlanta : 

William  Owens,  chairman  ;   Thomas  B.   Lumpkin. 

L.  P.  Bottenfield,  chairman ;  E.  P.  McElroy,  W.  L.  Cline,  J.  A.  Agnew, 
J.  H.  Holland,  E.  Anderson,  D.  G.  Jones,  Joseph  Kopp,  S.  .\.  Givens,  G. 
Walter  Corley,  J.  Gregory   Murphey.  G.   Lynn   Barber,   Thomas  M.   Turner. 

C.  D.  Montgomery,  chairman;  W.  S.  Lounsbury,  P.  W.  Coleman,  Hill  R. 
Huffman,    D.    W.    Carson. 

Charles  P.  Glover,  chairman;  Porter  Laiigston,  W.  T.  Martin,  E.  C.  Stew- 
art, F.  R.  Graham,  Martin  Hansen,  Philip  F.  L'Engle,  F.  L.  Clement,  Carl 
AVitt. 

A.  W.  Farlinger,  chairman  ;   Frank  E.   Kamper,   O.  T.  Camp.  H.  .\shford. 


THE    HELP    OF    THE     PSYCHIC    CITY  75 

names  are  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  story,  composed  of 
men  of  all  faiths  and  all  creeds,  who,  not  content  with  giv- 
ing their  money,  gave  also  their  time  that  Oglethorpe  might 
live.  I  think  of  them  with  that  joy  which  comes  to  a  man 
when  he  views  the  spirit  of  his  brothers  engaged  in  the 
very  finest  of  battles  and  loves  them  because  they  are 
worthy  to  be  loved. 

And  to  those  who  read  this  story,  whose  homes  are  out- 
side of  the  city  of  Atlanta,  I,  who  was  not  born  here,  but 
who  chose  her  for  my  mother  city  because  of  just  such 
qualities  as  this  which  I  have  described,  say  that  it  is  this 
splendid  spirit  of  enthusiastic  willingness  to  serve  their  com- 
munity by  serving  others,  that  has  made  this  splendid  city 
possible.  The  spirit  in  which  any  man  does  his  work  is 
the  greatest  element  of  his  character  and  the  spirit  in  which 
Atlanta  does  hers  has  marked  her  as  a  queen  among  her 
sisters^"^. 


Dr.  Cheston  King,  chairman ;  Harrison  Jones,  George  Bonnell,  Dr.  C.  L. 
Lewis  of  Nashville,  Norman  Poole,  Dr.  H.  J.  Gaertner,  L.  E.  Hamilton,  Jr. 

John  A.  Brice,  chairman  ;  Henry  A.   Inman. 

Joel  Hunter,  chairman ;  W.  B.  Seabrook,  T.  M.  Fincher,  John  S.  Carroll, 
Edw.  Clarkson. 

Harris  White,  chairman ;  S.  O.  Vickers,  B.  M.  Grant,  Loyd  Parks,  S.  B. 
Turman,  George  M.    Napier. 

Henry    Schaul,    chairman;    Henry    Grady,    Frank    Lowenstein. 

F.  E.  Callaway,  chairman;  Arnold  Broyles,  C.  T.   Nunnally. 

Fred  Houser,  chairman;  W.  F.  Parkhurst,  Edgar  Harrington,  W.  G. 
Peebles,  A.   S.  Adams. 

J.  R.  A.   Hobson,   chairman;   Victor   L.   Smith,    Roby   Robinson. 

Central  Committee — This  committee  had  the  same  personnel  as  the  execu- 
tive committee,   to-wit,   ns   follows ; 

J.  W.  English,  Sr.,  chairman ;  Ivan  E.  Allen,  vice-chairman ;  James  R. 
Gray,  Clark  Howell,  Frank  Inman,  Thornwell  Jacobs,  Keats  Speed. 


(37)  Away  back  in  the  ages  a  gigantic  geological  convulsion  left  a  lake  or  a 
river  or  an  ocean  in  its  track.  When  men  came  they  could  not  pass  over  the 
lake,  so  their  commerce  was  deflected  around  it — hence  Chicago.  They  floated 
their  merchandise  down  the  river — hence  New  Orleans.  They  learned  to  go  to 
the  sea  in  ships — hence  London,  New  York,  Buenos  Ayre.s,  almost  all  of  the 
great  cities  of  the  world  to  date.  The  reason  New  York  rests  where  she  does 
today  is  because  there  has  to  be  a  city  there.  No  metropolis  is  built  volun- 
tarily. 

Milleniums  ago,  the  ancient  Atlantic  sea  coast  gave  way  and  the  earth's  in- 
calculable weight  crushed  the  Appalachian  system  upward  Into  the  air.     Long 


CHAPTER  VII 

Again  the  Churches. 

It  was  J.  H.  Henderlite,  whose  invitation  to  Gast(mi^^ 
North  CaroHna,  gave  me  my  introduction  to  the  noble  gen- 
erosity of  the  old  North  State.    "I  am  glad  you  stopped  when 

centuries  later  developed  the  coastal  plains  of  the  Carolinas,  Georgia  and  the 
Gulf  states.  There  remained  a  mighty  Impassable  mountain  system,  termi- 
nating southward  in  North  Georgia.  There  men  and  merchandise  from  the 
Carolinas  going  west  could  get  around  it.  This  point  was  midway  between 
the  mouth  of  the  grandest  drainage  basin  on  earth  and  the  destined  me- 
tropolis of  the  world,  New^  Orleans,  and  New  York.  It  was  midway  from 
the  mightiest  city  of  the  interior,  governing  the  traffic  of  the  lakes  and  the 
southwesternmost  tip  of  land  on  the  continent,  Chicago  and  Key  West. 
There  and  there  only  for  hundreds  of  miles  their  traffic  could  cross.  It  was 
high  above  the  ocean  and  so  gifted  with  an  unrivalled  climate.  Its  eastern 
gates  faced  the  seaboard  and  the  old  world,  its  western  opened  upon  the 
wealth  of  the  mightiest  of  continents  and   widest  of  seas — hence  Atlanta. 

Though  all  cities  are  built  by  the  invisil)le,  yet  Atlanta  more  than  they 
all  No  lake  is  before  her,  no  river,  no  ocean  port.  No  rich  coal  flelds  locate 
her  factories,  no  limestone  nor  iron  ores.  These  things  are  for  Birmingham, 
Pittsburg,  Chicago — all  the  rest.  The  invisible  things,  the  Intangible  things — 
these  have  fathered  the  Gate  City — The  Psychic  City. 

A  location — a  climate — a  spirit — invisible.  Intangible,  inaudible,  this  is 
Atlanta.  Even  those  who  live  within  her  gates  do  not  grasp  the  meaning 
of  it.  Birmingham  will  outgrow  Atlanta,  some  of  them  say.  Look  at  her 
coal,  her  Iron,  her  limestone.  Yon  can  touch  these  things.  Savannah  will 
©utgrow  Atlanta,  they  saj-.  You  can  see  her  foundations,  her  rivers  her 
ocean.  Chattanooga  will  outgrow  Atlanta  eventually,  they  gay.  Hear  the 
roaring  of  her  mighty  water  falls.  Atlanta,  alone  of  them  all,  works  by 
faith,  not  by  sight.  A  noantain  pasM,  a  surveyor's  transit — an  atmosphere,  a 
spirit.     Is  she  not  the  psychic  City  ? 

What  he  who  built  the  first  steamboat  did  for  Carthage  or  Constantinople, 
the  Inventor  of  the  steam  engine  did  for  Atlanta,  for  scarcely  had  men  begun 
to  lay  their  rails  of  steel  before  it  was  discovered  that  the  first  easy  grade 
around  the  mighty  Appalachians  south  of  Lynchburg  was  In  north  Georgia. 
To  connect  the  more  thickly  populated  section  of  the  state  with  the  golden 
grain  flelds  of  the  middle  west,  the  state  built  her  a  railroad  from  Chatta- 
nooga to  a  point  in  North  Georgia  easily  accessible  to  other  roads.  This 
point  was  located  In  1837  by  Stephen  H.  Long,  the  engineer  In  chief.  All 
wise  men  knew  from  the  beginning  that  a  city  would  some  day  be  located 
there.  Erom  Terminus  it  grew  into  Marthasville  and  from  Marthasville  into 
Atlanta. 

Atlanta  rode  Into  her  empire  on  a  storm.  For  in  the  terrible  days  of 
the  sixties  It  was  soon  discovered  that  she  occupied  the  strategic  heart  of 
the  southeast.     Almost   at  once   she  was   made   the   center   of   manufacture  of 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  7J 

you  did,"  said  one  of  their  members,  as  he  wrote  his  name 
down  for  a  liberal  subscription,  "as  it  was  it  cost  us  over 
$50  a  minute."     I   found  Gastonia  to  be  a  great  church  in 


war  Implements  and  headquarters  for  Confederate  quartermasters  and  com- 
missaries. Prom  her  went  out  the  sinews  of  war  and  unto  her  came  the 
wounded  of  fourteen  states  to  be  healed.  Afar  In  the  north  the  opposing 
generals  marked  her  for  destruction.  Steadily  their  armies  g'\-w  nearer 
until  In   July,   1864,   she  was   burned   to   the  ground. 

Out  of  this  baptism  of  fire  sprang  Atlanta's  second  great  asset,  her 
spirit.  In  the  midst  of  the  calamity  that  swept  her  to  the  heavens  in  fl:ime 
and  smoke  all  minor  differences  were  buried.  He  was  a  friend  who  would 
help  rebuild  the  city.  He  was  welcome  who  had  a  plan  or  a  tbou!,'ht  or 
any  possible  contributions  for  the  city's  good.  Hither  they  came  from  all 
directions,  the  city  dweller  and  the  countryman,  the  Confederate  and  tl»e 
Federal  soldier  together.  In  that  spirit  they  laid  the  foundations  of  their 
city,  burying  all  differences  In  her  cornerstone.  It  was  as  Henry  iJrady 
said  in  his  celebrated  New  England  speech:  "I  want  lo  tell  General  Sher- 
man, who  is  considered  an  aide  man  in  our  parts  though  kind  of  careless 
about  fire,  that  from  the  aslies  which  he  left  us  in  1,864  we  have  built  a 
brave  and  a  beautiful  city,  that,  somehow  or  other,  we  have  caught  the 
sunshine  in  the  brick  and  mort.ar  of  our  homes,  and  we  have  huilded  therein 
not   one   ignoble   prejudice   or   memory." 

Thug  in  the  midst  <if  (urnult  find  war  she  buried  hate.  On  both  sides 
she  offered  magnanimous  forgiveness  and  cordial  co-operation  and  sweet 
reasonableness  and  that  gentle  tolerance  which  sprang  from  her  baptism 
of  fire.     In   that  spirit  she  went  forth   to  conquer   her  empire. 

And  what  a  marvelous  conquest  has  been  hers!  As  I  think  of  it  I  can 
see  her  vast  army  of  letters  and  telegrams  and  traveling  salesmen  and  busy 
merchants  and  happy  visitors  coming  and  going  in  a  spirit  of  fairness  and 
friendship  devoted  to  a  fine  purpose  with  a  determination  to  win.  I  see 
her  armies  coming  back  to  her  laden  with  the  precious  spoils  of  good  will 
and  trade.  I  see  the  quality  of  her  manhood  and  womanhood  swiftly  im- 
pressing itself  upon  her  state  and  nation  until  the  man  or  the  woman  or 
the  child  in  Atlanta  is  known  to  the  world  as  a  worker  of  a  certain  spirit. 
I  see  her  splendid  equipment  of  poverty  and  hope  and  ambition  and  courage 
and  faith.  I  see  them  laboring  in  strength  and  enthusiasm  and  all  the 
eagerness  of  youth.  And  I  look  with  gladness  upon  the  superb  general- 
•hip  which  guided  her  soldiers  and  lead  them  constantly  to  victory,  glad  it 
wai  given  to  Atlanta  to  name  among  her  citizens  such  captains  of  commerce 
and   finance  and   transportation   and   publication   and   education   and   religion. 

And  any  man  today  may  look  out  upon  her  empire  with  the  joy  that 
accompanies  a   great   deed    worthily    dene.     For   today  Atlanta   is  the   capital 


78  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

every  true  sense  and  the  $2,000  which  they  added  to  the 
Oglethorpe  list,  like  the  names  of  Mr.  George  W.  Ragan 
and   Mr.   Thomas   W.   Wilson,   who   represent    them    on    the 


of  the  southeast  Ui  every  essential  respect  aud  her  couquest  is  one  of  arl- 
miration  and  interest.  We  devote  a  few  momenta  of  our  time  to  some  of  th« 
most  remarkable  illustratious  of  what  those  may  do  who  will  that  It  shall 
be  don«,  CTcr  written  in  the  human  history.  And  as  we  hear  the  story  of 
It  let  us  not  forget  to  bear  In  mind  that  the  greatest  single  factor  outside 
of  her  location  has  been  her  spirit.  I  deane  the  Atlanta  spirit  as  the 
sobordinatioii  of  the  iadividaal  interest  to  the  common  good.  It  is  the  crosA- 
splrit.  the  Christ-spirit.  It  is  the  spirit  of  service  as  distinguished  from 
selfishness:  of  honor  ns  distinguished  from  deceit;  of  charity  iis  distinguished 
from  proTinoial  cocksureness  and  pro.iudic-e.It  is  a  spirit  that  will  not  com- 
promise on    principles   nor   bicker  over   methods. 

Those  who  understand  Atlanta  and  her  empire  know  her  to  i>e  Im- 
patient of  discord  and  intolerant  of  controversy.  She  casta  her  mantle  of 
charity  over  all  her  childreu  and  pleads  with  them  to  heal  their  divisions. 
"Let  all  bitterness,"  she  says,  '"and  anger  and  wrath  and  clamor  and  evil 
speaking  be  put  away  from  you  with  all  malice  and  be  ye  kind  to  one  an- 
other, tender  hearted,  forgiving  one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake 
bath  forgiven  you."  She  looks  upon  her  ministers  as  the  country's  greatest 
ministers;  her  merchants  as  the  country's  greatest  merchants;  her  newspa- 
pers as  the  country's  greatest  newspapers.  It  hurts  Atlanta  for  one  of  her 
children  to  do  an  unworthy  thing,  for  one  of  her  rulers  to  be  such  a  man 
that  she  cannot  praise  him.  Her  spirit  is  the  love  of  a  mother  for  her  own. 
Does  it  not  bring  out  the  best  there  is  In  us?  Does  It  not  make  ns  want 
to  be  all  that  she  expects  of  us?  Has  she  not  formed  among  us  so  fine 
a  comradeship  that  it  challenges  all  the  greaTTiess  of  our  souls?  Has  she 
not  cast  her  net  out  into   the  deep   of  the  very   best  that  Is  in   us? 

Before  us  some  months  ago  a  great  movement  for  the  building  and  equip 
ment   of  a   Southern    Presbyterian   University.     It   succeeded.     It   had   to  suc- 
ceed     It  fell  in  line  with  Atlanta's  destiny.     It  was  time  for  us  to  render  unt^ 
the  «oul  the  things  that  are  the  soul's.     There  have  been,  there  will  be  many 
other   such    chapters    in    her   life. 

See  how  there  was  In  this  thing  the  command  of  Providence.  When 
an  Immense  state,  a  state  of  great  and  promising  wealth  of  resources  «n- 
limlted,  stands  in  such  confessed  educational  destitution,  it  is  time  for  her 
wise  men  to  listen.  When  the  richest  and  most  promising  single  area  of 
such  a  state,  comprising  her  metropolis  and  capital  city,  is  found  to  be  In 
direct  need,  promise  of  a  brilliant  opportunity  illuminates  a  very  dark 
prospect.  Whem  In  that  area  is  located  the  stronghold  of  a  rich  and  pow- 
erful Church    It  Is  as  if   Providence   were   tapping  some  one  on   the  shoulder. 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  79 

board,  have  proven  invaluable  to  the  cause.  They  led  North 
Carolina"-'*    known    to    be    perhaps    the    chief    dynamo    in    the 

And  when  memory  reminds  ttiut  denomination  thjit  she  alone  of  all  the 
strong  ones  of  the  nation  has  failed  to  build  her  intellectual  beacon -light, 
a  voice  Is  speaking  and  saying  rery  plainly :  "Who  knoweth  whether  thou 
art  come  Into  the  Kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this"  Sometimes  men  and 
denominations  have  duties  thrust  upon  them.  If  they  do  not  perform  them, 
others  come  and   take  away   their   place  and    their  honor. 

If  ever  the  nrood  God  spoke  to  the  Presbyterians,  He  U  Hpeakin^  to 
them   through   Oglethorpe  University. 

Atlanta  Is  bnllt  to  be  the  ^reat  edacatlonal  center  oif  the  fifteen  South- 
ern States.  Her  strategic  location,  her  unrivaled  climate,  her  financial  abil- 
ity, her  argent  need,  and  above  all.  her  manifest  destiny  demand  It.  To 
be  the  political  capital  of  the  greatest  state  east  of  the  Mississippi  is  a  great 
thing;  to  be  the  commercial  capital  of  the  Southeast  is  a  greater  thing;  to  b» 
the  intellectual  capital  of  the  Southern  half  of  the  grreatest  country  In  the 
world — that  is,  that  now  Is  to  be  the  destiny  of  Atlanta. 

Nor  can  any  picture,  too  brilliant,  be  painted  of  the  future  of  a  well- 
managed  university  within  her  gates. 

The  Unseen  has  built  for  us  magnificently.  Let  us  build  magnificently 
for   the  Unseen. 


(38)    THE   GENKROSITY   OF   GASTONIA. 

The  city  of  Gastonla,  North  Carolina,  has  written  a  fine  introduction  to 
a  great  and  promising  chapter  in  the  church  history  of  the  state  and  of 
the  South. 

Away  back  In  the  eighteenth  century  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  met  In 
the  little  Presbyterian  church  at  Morganton,  North  Carolina,  and  set  up  the 
Presbytery    of    Hopewell. 

The  Presbytery  of  Hopewell  was  to  cover  the  whole  State  of  Georgia 
and    contained    about    two    thousand    members. 

The  Presbytery  of  Hopewell  did  more  for  the  cause  of  Christian  educa- 
tion  than   any   other   single    Presbytery    the   Southern    Assembly    has  ever   had. 

They    began    the   movement    that   founded    Columbia    Seminary. 

They    began    the   movement   that   founded    Mercer   Universit.y. 

They    began    the   movement   that   founded    Emory    College. 

They    began    the    movement    that    founded    Oglethorpe    University. 

And  through  these  Institutions,  through  their  influence,  through  their 
example,  through  their  graduates  they  founded  every  denominational  college 
and  university,  with  practically  no  exceptions,  between  the  .Vtlantic  and 
Pacific    oceans,    south    of   the    Virginia    line. 

We  venture   the  assertion    that   there  was   never   done   by   «n.v   Presbytery 


80  THE  .  OGLETHORPE     STORY 

Presbyterianism  of  the  South,  and  they  led  her  by  an  example 
that  has  continued  its  blessings  from  that  day  to  this. 
The    following  Sunday   at   Selma,   Alabama,   another   story 


of   any    Synod   of   any    nation    any    finer   work   for   tbe   cause   of    Christian    ed- 
ucation. 

Grastonin    thought   the   same   way   about   it. 

And  not  only  so,  but  they  also  thought  that  the  Old  North  .State  was 
Btill  capable  of  doing  exactly  the  same  quality  of  work  that  their  ancestors 
did. 

And    they    demonstrated    it    to    a    Q.    E.    D. 
Gastonia    is    a    city    of    soiuewhere    between    ten    and    fifteen    thousand    peo- 
ple.     It    has    seventeen    cotton    mills    within    the   corporate    limits    of    the    mu- 
nicipality   and    sixty-five    in    the   county    of   which    she   is    the   county    seat. 

The  Presbyterian  church  there  is  one  of  the  strong  ones  of  the  state, 
having  some  six  hundred  members.  They  have  a  beautiful  church  building 
on  which  they  have  just  spent  $12,000  for  improvements  and  a  beautiful 
new  pipe  organ  for  which  they  are  paying  $3,000.  They  recently  gave  ap- 
proximately .$1,200  to  the  Barium  Springs  Orphanage  Fund  and  spent  the 
greater   part  of  $800   on   a   splendid   series  of  revival  services. 

About  three  months  ago  their  pastor.  Rev.  J.  H.  Heuderlite,  got  a  letter 
fr©m  the  executive  representative  of  the  Oglethorpe  University  Board  re- 
questing an   opportunity   to  tell  his   people  the  Oglethorpe  story. 

He  said:   "COME." 
"Some  Great   Cause.     God's    New    Messiah,   offering   each   the   bloom   or   blight, 
Parts  the  goats   upon   the  left   band  and   the  sheep   upon   the  ri.iziit. 
And  the  choice  goes  by  forever  twixt  that  darkness  and  that  light.*" 

The  biggest  need  of  the  church  of  God  today  is  the  need  of  big-hearted, 
hopeful  men  in  her  pulpits,  men  who  are  in  favor  of  things,  men  like  J.  H. 
Henderlite,    pastor    of    the    Presbyterian    church    of    Gastonia. 

When  the  address  was  finished,  the  deacons  of  the  church  got  together 
and   said:    "We   want   a    representative  on    that   board    of   directors." 

So  they  put  him  there  and  handed  him  a  thousand  dollars  to  give  his 
Institution    as    an    earnest    of    their    good    will. 

The  elders  of  the  church  got  together  and  said :  "We  want  a  member 
OB   that   board   also." 

So  they  put   him   there,   backing  him   up  with   a   thousand-dollar  gift  also. 

That  made  two  thousand  dollars  for  Gastonia  for  the  resurrection  of 
Oglethorpe   University   from   the   dead. 

Gastonia    calls   on    all    North    Carolina    to    follow    her   lead. 

The  plan  is  to  build  a  memorial  of  every  State  Synod  in  the  South  into 
the  new  university — which  is   the  old   university. 

Tht  Board  of  Directors  will  decide  whether  that  memorial  will  take  the 
form  of  a  building  or  of  a  memorial   professorship. 


AGAIN     THE    CHURCHES  81 

of  generosity  was  written.  In  this  fine  old  aristocratic  city 
we  found  the  same  warm  hearts  as  elsewhere,  and  they  added 
their  link  to  the  chain  choosing  Mr.  Thos.  E.  Gary  as  their  re- 
presentative on  the  Board  of  Founders. 

When  Dr.   Moffett  invited  me   to   Pensacola-*",   I    did    not 

Tbe    Synod    will    name   the   building   or    the   professorship. 

Thus  Oglethorpe  University  will  be  an  Immense  hall  of — merit — of  love — 
of   devotion — of   honor. 

It  will  register  the  higli-water  mark  of  the  determination  of  a  great  body 
of  Christians   to   build   an    I iilelleotual  Beacon-light  for  the  nation. 

As  they  counted  tlio  Tribes  of  Israel  so  shall  tlicy  count  the  Synods 
of  the  South.  Each  will  gather  her  sons  and  her  dollars  about  her  aud 
bring   them    to    the   building   of   this,   her   lighthouse,   her   temple. 

Georgia  has  almost  fii.'ished  her  memorial  and  iu  her  contributions  the 
quarter   million    dollar   gift   of   the   city    of   Atlanta    is    not   counted. 

South  Carolina  aud   Texas  are  tying  for  second   place. 

And  now  North  Carolina  euters  the  list  with  Gastonia  leading  that  great 
Synod.     If  the  remainder  of  the  Synod  equals  her  work,  the  North  Carolina 
memorial    will    show    up    close    to    two    hundred    thousand    dollars. 
Will   any   other    Synod   equal   that? 


(40)     TO    ALL,    THE    FAITHLESS— HAIL! 

Cities  like  men  should  be  judged  by  what  they  do  and  think  in  adversity. 
It  is  easy  to  be  happy  ■«  h^an  all  goes  well  and  ea.sy  to  give  of  one's  surplus 
But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  give  when  the  bank  in  which  that  surplus  was  has 
broken  and  all  around  you  the  craehing  of  business  concerns  may   be  heard. 

Now  listen  lo  a  story. 

Dr.  A.  S.  Mofifett  is  the  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Pensacola,  Florida. 

Along  about  last  December  one  of  the  big  banks  of  the  city  of  Pensacola 
failed. 

In  January  another  went  to  ihe  wall.  One  of  these  banks  was  the  biggest 
bank  of  the  city,  carrying  as  large  assets  as  all  the  others  put  together. 

After  these  two  came  seventeen  other  firm  and  individual  failures,  accord- 
ing to  the  best  estimates  that  reached  the  ears  of  the  Oglethorpe  representa- 
tive. 

Yet  Dr.  Moffett  was  not  afraid.  Although  he  did  not  expect  anything 
great,  he  was  not  afraid  of,  or  for,  his  people. 

It  Is  a  curious  fact  that  all  the  Presbyterian  banks  are  reported  to  have 
Blood  the  storm  in  first-class  condition. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  local  disaster  the  Oglethorpe  Secretary  spoke  In 
Dr.  Moffett's  church. 

The  response  was  worthy  of  the  people. 

Out  of  the  storm  came  a  marvelous  record. 

They  gave  practically  two  thousand  dollars  to  resurrect  the  old  institu- 
tion from  the  dead. 


82  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

know  of  the  financial  crash  in  which  the  whole  city  was  in- 
volved. In  December,  preceding-  my  visit,  a  large  state  bank 
had  failed  and  in  January  a  strong  national  bank,  and  they 
carried    down    with    them    some    twentv-five   individuals    and 


One  man,  Mr.  Richard  Pope  Reese,  after  giving  us  a  message  to  take  to 
Texas  the  next  Sunday,  put  his  name  down  for  a  thousand  dollars  "to  do  a 
work  that  I  have  long  yearned  to  see  done  for  the  Presbyterian  Church  la 
the  South." 

Practically  another  thousand  dollars  was  given  by  other  generous-hearted 
friends. 

And  every  cent  of  it  was  absolutely  VOLUNTARY. 

The  thing  that  Peusacola  did   will  never  be  forgotten. 


Afterward    Came    Fort    Worth. 

Fort  Worth  is  the  center  of  the  cattle-raising  section  of  the  only  real 
Empire  State  in  the  nation. 

Her  population  will  soon  be  a  hundred  thou.saud. 

Her  skyscrapers  have  passed  the  number  when  her  citizens  boast  of  them. 

In  Fort  Worth  are  two  strong  Southern  Presbyterian  churches.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Caldwell  is  the  pastor  of  one  of  them  and  Dr.  A.  F.  Carr  is  the  pastor 
of  the  other. 

Here  is  what  the  Fort  Worth  Record  had  to  say  about  the  result  of  the 
presentation    of    the    Oglethorpe   Story    in    those    two    sister   churches: 

The  marvelou.s  story  of  the  resurrection  of  Oglethorpe  University  was  told 
Sunday  morning  at  the  Broadway  Presbyteriiin  Church  and  the  previous 
Sunday  morning  at  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Fort  Worth,  by  Thorn- 
well  Jacobs,  the  executive  representative  of  the  institution.  This  institution, 
famous  in  ante-bellum  days,  was  the  oldest  and  most  celebrated  institutioa 
l)etween  the  Atbuitic  and  Pacific  oceans  south  of  the  Virginia  line.  It  was 
founded  as  the  southern  mate  for  Princeton  and  numbered  among  her  grad- 
uates some  of  the  most  famous  luen  of  the  nation.  Sidney  Lanier  was  one 
of  her  graduates.  By  the  way,  Lanier  was  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Carr,  whost> 
husband  is  pastor  of  the  Broadway  Presbyterian  Church,  Joseph  LeConte. 
the  famous  geologist,  was  one  of  her  professors,  as  also  was  Dr.  James 
Woodrow,  the  distinguished  uncle  of  President  Woodrow  Wilson.  Both 
Theodore  Roosevelt  and  Senator  Bacon,  of  Georgia,  are  directly  descended 
from  the  men  who  founded  her  originally.  Secretary  McAdoo  was  reared 
on  Midway  Hill,  the  campus  of  the  university.  Dozens  of  other  well  known 
men  are  historically  connected  with  it.  When  the  war  came  the  boys  went 
into  the  army  and  the  money  into  Confederate  bonds  so  that  Oglethorpe  died 
at   Gettysburg. 

To   Build    State   Memorials. 

The  Presbyterians  of  the  South  are  busy  now  refounding  Oglethorpe  and 
Into  the  uew-old  university  it  is  planned  to  build  a  State  memorial  of  each  of 
the  sixteen  Southern  States,  'laese  memorials  will  average  approximately 
$50,000  each,  and  will  be  either  a  professorship  or  building  as  the  board  of 
directors  may  determine  and  will  be  named  by  the  synod  of  the  State  in 
which  the  money  Is  raised,  either  for  the  State  or  for  one  of  its  distinguished 
cltlrens. 

The  churches  of  Fort  Worth  have  given  the  Institution  a  most  hearty  and 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  83 

corporations  involving  amounts  from  a  few  thousand  to  one 
and  one-half  million.  Had  I  known  how  deeply  the  whole 
citizenship  was  involved  in  these  disasters.  I  should  certainly 
never  have  dared  to  venture  to  Pensacola  at  that  time,  yet 
after  the  service  the  same  splendid  story  was  repeated  and  the 
subscription  to  Oglethorpe  amounted  to  nearly  $2,000.  Was 
ever  a  finer  story  told  of  a  finer  people? 

On  two  successful  Sundays  in  the  same  February,  T  toM 
the  Oglethorpe  story  in  the  two  big  churches  at  Fort  Worth, 
Texas***...  The  first  of  these  was  Dr.  Caldwell's  church,  the 
lovable,  generous,  scholarly  man,  whose  name  is  blessed.  The 
Second  had  recently  cilled  my  friend,  A.  F.  Carr,  from  Mo- 
bile***, by  whose  kindly  invitation  I  had  been  allowed  to  ad- 
dress the  Government  Street  Church  in  Mobile.  I  love  them 
both  as  also  their  churches  inr  their  great-hearted  treatment 
of  the  cause,  not  less  than  for  their  own  delightful  person- 
alities. As  che  result  of  the  two  addresses,  thev  wrote  the  sum 


encouraging  reception.  In  fact  Tesa.s  i.s  well  up  toward  the  front  iu  sup- 
plying the  sinews  of  war  for  the  resurrection  of  old  Oglethorpe.  Last  Sun- 
day Mr.  Jacobs  presented  the  matter  to  Dr.  Caldwell's  church,  the  First 
Presbyterian,  and  the  contribution  made  was  most  liberal,  amounting  to  an 
even  $2,000.  The  same  fine  reception  was  given  the  cause  at  the  Broadway 
church,  of  which  Dr.  Carr  is  pastor,  the  same  beiug  contributed.  Both  Drs. 
Carr  and  Caldwell  will  be  members  of  the  board  of  directors  of  Oglethorpe 
These  splendid  contributions  complete  the  first  quarter  of  the  Texas  build 
ing  or  professorship  of  $50,000. 

Work  on  the  buildings  of  the  institutions,  which  will  be  located  on  i 
splendid  campus  of  137  acres  of  land  on  Pe.ichtree  road,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  is  ex- 
pected to  begin  shortly.  Atlanta  has  already  contributed  over  a  quarter 
of  a  million  dollars  on  her  local  bonus  for  the  location  of  the  institution 
there." 

The  point  of  It  all  is  not  in  the  above  article.  In  fact  the  point  is  not 
a   point   at   all,    but   a    straight    line. 

That   line   runs   from   Atlanta   to   Fort   Worth. 

It   is    something    like    twelve    hundred    miles    long. 

Yet   their   hearts  were   warm   for   Oglethorpe. 

What  does  that  mean  to  you  men  of  Carolina  and  Alabama  and  Tennessee? 

This  is  what  it  means:  It  means  that  when  you  hear  the  story  you  also 
will  do  your  part  to  aid  in  this :  the  greatest  single  piece  of  educational  work 
that  the  Southern   Presbyterian  Church   has  ever  attempted. 

But  the  people  of  Fort  Worth  did  even  better  than  that;  they  did  more 
than    they   were   asked   to   do! 

That  Is  why  you  will  also  do  more  than   you  will  be  asked  to  do. 

After  all,   is  not   that  the   way   to  do,   anyway? 


84  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

of  $4,200  opposite  the  narne  of  Fort  Worth,  in  our  books  and 
sent  a  thrill  of  joy  through  all  the  friends  of  Oglethorpe. 

Just  here  I  want  to  say  that  one  of  the  marvelous  findings 
of  this  whole  campaign  has  been  the  discover}^  of  the  great 
heart  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  church.  Beyond  the  little 
accidents  of  time  and  space,  above  the  necessities  of  local 
conditions,  that  heart  beats  true  and  loyal  from  El  Paso  to 
Baltimore  and  from  Kansas  City  to  Tampa,  i  have  found 
no  difference  in  the  quality  of  their  generosity.  Texas  has 
responded  as  nobly  as  Georgia,  and  Missouri  and  Florida  and 
Virginia  may  be  compared  in  great  hearted  generosity  even 
to  Atlanta  herself. 

What  an  interesting  trip  that  was  to  Thomasville*^,  Geor- 

(41)     A    MAN    AND    HIS    SONS. 

(41)  One  da.v  I  was  talking  to  an  Atlanta  man  about  jjroing  into  South 
Georgia  in  the  Interest  of  Oglethorpe  University  and  he  aslied  me  whether 
I  had  been  to  Thomasville  yet.  To  this  I  replied,  "No."  Then  he  said : 
"Down  in  Thomasville  there  lives  a  man  named  Watt.  When  you  go  there, 
don't  fail  to  see  him." 

Later  I  went  to  Quitman  and  some  one  there  asked  me  the  same  ques- 
tion   and    received    the    same   answer,    to    which    he    replied : 

"Down   in   Thomasville  there  is  a   man   named  Watt;  you   must  be  sure  to 
eee  him  when  you  go  there." 

At  Waycross,  at  Valdosta,  all  through  south  Georgia,  it  was  the  same. 

Well,   on    the   first   Sabbath   of   March    I    went   to   Thomasville. 

1  had  been  warned  that  the  people  of  that  city  were  not  interested  any 
more  In    "Christian    education,'    it   having   already   cost   them    dear. 

It  was  pictured  as  another  Blackshear.     You   remember  Blackshear? 

And  when  Dr.  McCarty  met  me  at  the  station  Saturday  afternoon,  he 
had   Just   said   to   John   Watt: 

"It's  a  shame  for  a  man  to  come  way  down  here  from  Atlanta  and 
get  what  he's  going  to  get." 

Whereto  John  Watt  agreed. 

It  was  not  raining,  but  it  was  blowing  a  fifty-mile  gale  and  the  worst 
blizzard    for    four    years    was    upon    Thomasville. 

The  next  morning  it  was  as  clear  as  any  South  Georgia  whistle. 

At  Sunday  school  I  met  Will  Watt,  the  superintendent.  He  is  often 
called  thereabouts  "Captain"  Watt.  He  is  the  man  who  held  a  mob  of  would- 
be  lynchers  at  bay  with  the  pointed  bayonets  of  his  company  when  the 
dignity  of  his  state  required  the  protection  of  a  negro  accused  of  assault 
on  a  white  woman.  He  is  also  the  man  who  teaches  the  negro  Sunday  school 
in  Thomasville.  He  is  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  graduate 
of   Davidson    college. 

I  also  met  Hansell  Watt.  He  is  a  deacon  in  the  church  and  the  church 
treasurer  and   he  has   one  of  the   finest   looking  little  boys    I   ever  saw. 

Then   I   met   Mr.   Watt. 

James  Watt  came  to  this  country  in  186f5.  Practically  all  of  the  time 
Blnce  then  he  spent  in  Thomasville.  He  is  utterly  Scotch.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Hansell.     He  started  life  as  a   tinner  in  a   little  shop   in 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  85 

gia !  I  seemed  to  hear  young-  Watt  saying  even  now,  "How 
much  did  Valdosta  give,  and  how  much  did  Waycross  give?" 
When  he  learned  that  one  had  given  $1,000  and  the  other 
had  given  $2„000,  "It  will  come  hard,  but  we  must  make  it 
three  from  Thomasville,  for  we  led  the  South  Georgia  League 
and  if  we  can  beat  them  playing  base  ball,  we  must  lead  them 
also  in  generosity."  Over  $3,000  they  added  to  the  Ogle- 
thorpe fund. 

To  mention  any  name  rather  than  the  other  would  be  in- 
vidious for  they  all  did  their  part,  yet  I  think  when  William 
A.  Watt  told  me  of  how  his  father  had  sent  his  sons  to  Da- 
vidson and  how,  if  their  education  at  Davidson  was  worth 
anything,  they  ought  also  to  build  such  a  university  as  Da- 
vidson was  a  college,  that  my  cup  was  running  over  with 
happiness.  It  was  a  splendid  utterance  of  one  of  the  finest 
types  of  young  Georgia  manhood  that  I  have  met  anywhere. 

I  think  with  delight  of  Sanford,  Floricla*^,  of  the  twenty 

his  adopted  village.  He  has  seen  it  grow  into  a  most  beautiful  city  and 
his  little  tin  shop  has  multiplied  into  I-don't-know-how-many-big  stores 
throughout  South  Georgia. 

And  when  I  left  Thomasville  his  pastor  said  to  me:  "You  can  not  say 
anything   too  good   of  Mr.  Watt." 

After  I  had  finished  telling  the  Oglethorpe  story  In  his  church,  I  felt  a 
touch   on   my   arm   and   standing   there   was   Mr.   Watt. 

"You    may    put   me  down    for   a   thousand   dollars,"   he  said. 

I   had  been   wondering  whether  they   were  right  about  him. 

I  am  going  to  take  a  big  paragraph  off  just  here  and  tell  you  about 
some   other   charming   people. 

I  was  delightfully  entertained  in  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  T.  Rock- 
well and,  although  I  tried  my  best  to  keep  them  from  doing  it,  they  iu- 
sisted  on  putting  a  handsome  subscription  into  the  Oglethorpe  pot. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  H.  Merrill  were  so  generous  as  to  hand  a  gift  of  some 
five  hundred  dollars  to  the  cause.  That  was  a  big-hearted  thing  to  do.  In 
the  same  class  were  Mrs.  C.  S.  Cassels.  Mrs.  E.  H.  Mallard,  Chas.  P.  Hun- 
sell,  R.  G.  Mays.  Together,  these  good  friends  of  a  g»-eat  cause  gave  some 
fourteen  hundred  dollars,  and  Messrs.  Stewart  and  Watson  added  three  hun- 
dred   more. 

On    the    way    to   church    that    night.    Will    Watt    said: 

"I  think  ifs  about  time  that  Davidson  College  should  be  heard  from. 
Put   .John    and    Hansell   and    myself    down    for   another    thousand." 

That  made  three  thousand  six  hundred  dollars  from  the  Thomasville 
church. 


(42)  A  YOUNG  MAN  AND  HIS  PEOPLE. 

I  have  just  had  one  of  the  most  interesting  experiences  of  a  year  full  of 
Interesting   ones.     Here   is   the   story   of   it: 


86  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

girls  who  gave  their  $1,000  that  their  pastor  might  repre- 
sent them  on  the  board ;  of  the  orange  trees,  scented  with 
blossoms  and  hung  with  golden  fruit,  in  one  of  which  I  buried 
my    nose    and    the    other    my    teeth ;    of    Celery   Avenue    and 

Fifteen  mouths  ago,  Dr.  E.  Dainall  Bi-ov>nlee,  who  writes  the  Suuduy 
Scbool  lessons  for  The  Westmiuster,  was  the  pastor  of  the  Rock  Spring 
Church,  a  medium-sized  country  church  outside  of  Atlanta,  and  a  good  one. 
Unfortunately  for  his  Atlanta  charge,  Rev.  F.  D.  Hunt  and  Dr.  Holderby 
kept  talking  about  Brownlee's  being  one  of  the  best  informed  young  men  in 
the  Southern  Church  and  incidentally  mentioned  bow  much  the  Rock 
Spring    people   thought    of    him.     That    reached    Sanford,    Florida,    some   way. 

Then  they  called  him  and  that  was  how  Celery  Avenue  first  heard  of 
Oglethorpe   University. 

When  I  reached  Sanford,  Brownlee  was  at  the  station  and  young  Charley 
Whitner  with  him,  and  a  car  with  them  both  and  myself  was  soon  speed- 
ing up  to  my  room  at  Mrs.  Long's,  where  I  found  a  comfortable  room 
awaiting    me. 

After  that  Brownlee  and  1  took  in  the  movies  and  I  watched  them 
"live  happily  ever  after"  while  he  invited  everybody  he  saw  to  preaching 
next    Sunday. 

About  midnight  came  the  first  fire,  afterward  the  second,  then  the  third. 
Some  time  during  the  night  also  it  rained  and  that  woke  me  instantly. 
Forty-seven  times  I  have  told  the  Oglethorpe  story  in  pulpits  all  the  way 
from  Texas  to  Virginia,  and  not  one  time  has  it  rained  (saving  only  that 
first    Sunday    at   Milledgeville). 

I  was  confessedly  anxious  about  the  situation  at  Sanford.  Brownlee  was 
my  friend  and  like  Sims,  at  Dalton,  might  have  just  let  me  come  to  San- 
ford to  talk  over  old  times,  not  realizing  that  should  we  fail  to  get  our 
thousand  dollars  and  the  man  for  our  board  it  would  be  the  first  failure 
In  the  forty-seven  and  would  ruin  a  record  of  which  the  whole  South  has 
become  proud.  Later  1  found  out  that  he  and  Mr.  DuBose  had  actually 
agreed   that  it   seemed  impossible  for  us   to   get   that  thousand. 

Sunday  morning  my  fears  increased  as  I  saw  the  shape  his  church  was 
in.  The  need  of  a  new  church  building  was  as  instantly  apparent  to  me 
as  it  had  long  been  to  them.  The  Sunday  School  classes  were  so  crowded 
that  men  had  actually  stopped  coming  to  their  Bible  Class  because  they 
could  not  hear  for  the  voices  of  the  other  nearby  teachers.  I  learned  that 
they  were  trying  to  buy  adjacent  property  and  afterward  to  build,  and 
all   this  expense  would   shortly    be  upon    the   people. 

But  do   you   know   what   they   sang  at   Sunday    School? 

"God  will  take  care  of  you !'" 

I    told   them   the   story   and   left  the  rest   to   them — and   Him. 

After  the  service,  Mr.  Runge  came  up  to  me,  saying :  'I  want  to  sign 
my  name  for  $600.  Eight  other  members  of  the  church  raised  the  amount 
to  ?1,450.  Then  a  gentleman  asked  me  if  he  might  see  me  a  moment  pri- 
vately,   and    it    turned    out   to   be   another   $1,000. 

Then  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful  things  happened  that 
has    ever    occurred    in    the    history    of   that    or    any    other    church. 

Twenty  young  ladies  gave  fifty  dollars  each,  making  a  thousand  dollars, 
and  put  their  pastor,  Dr.  Brownlee,  on  the  Board  of  Directors  to  represent 
ihem   thereon. 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  87 

Brownlee,  their  young  pastor,  and  of  the  $3,000  that  they 
gave  to  Oglethorpe. 

Came  also  the  day  when  the  story  was  told  in  the  First 
Gburch  of  Greenville,  South  Carolina*^,    when    $2,000    was 


Dr.  Brownlee  will  have  to  tnlk  a  great  deal  when  the  board  meets  to 
do   that. 

And  there  will  be  no  man  on  the  board  who  will  represent  more  beauty 
or  more   lovely   jrenerosity    than    he. 

When  I  went  to  Wayoross,  after  the  telling  of  the  story,  a  gentleman 
approached    me   and   asked : 

"How    many    men    did    Valdosta    put   on    the    board  ? 

When  I  answered  One,  he  shook  his  head  knowingly  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments  came   back    to   me   and   said : 

We  will   put  two  on." 

A    gentleman    in    Sanford    asked:      "What    did    Orlando    do?" 

And    when    I    said    Two   thousand    dollars,    he    added: 

"We   must    make   it   three." 

They  did  that  and  put  $4.'J0  in  as  extra  measure  just  to  show  that  they 
really    were   the   county    seat. 

Sunday  afternoon  I  told  them  all  about  the  Tbornwell  Orphanage  and 
her  fifty  cents,  and  when  I  preached  Sunday  night  I  was  ready  for  bed. 
r.ut  we  talked  it  over  at  the  Whitners"  till  nearly   midnight. 

Monday  morning  they  took  me  out  Celery  Avenue. 

Fourteen  years  ago  a  gentleman  cut  a  road  through  about  two  miles  of 
farm  land  near  the  St.  Johns  River  to  Sanford,  through  land  worth  a  few 
dollars    an    acre    to    get    his    children    to    school. 

That  is   now   Celery   Avenue, 

I  stood  watching  them  cut  the  celery  from  a  ten-acre  tract  and  was  told 
that  it  was  making  thirteen  hundred  crates  per  acre  and  selling  at  $1.50  per 
crate.  It  costs  about  four  or  five  hundred  dollars  to  raise  it,  per  acre. 
That  was  the   finest   in   the   country. 

The  consequence  is  that  all  'ironnd  Sanford  is  becoming  an  immense  truck 
garden.  It  is  the  homo  of  twenty-four  pound  cabbages  and  of  the  tenderest 
lettuce. 

Then  they  took  me  to  Mr.  Dingees  and  there  I  buried  my  face  in  orange 
blossoms  and  ptilled  a  basket  full  of  or;inges,  juicy  and  golden  (my,  how  my 
little  sinners  at  home  did  en.ioy  them),  i.nd  when  four  o'clock  had  come  1 
took    the    limited    to    Jacksonville    and    thence    home. 

1  shall  never  forget  Celery  .\venue  or  the  fine  little  city  of  which  it  is 
so    important    a    part — 

X«r    the   twei;ty    girls   who    did   so   excellent   a   thing — 

Ncr  Brownlee — who  opened  the  door. 

(4.S)    THE    GENKBOSITY    OF    GREENVILLE. 

To  begin   with,   Mr.  had   already   given   a   thousand   dollars 

which    should   of  course    be   credited    to   the    First   Church    of   that   city. 

But  Dr.  Sloan  wanted  his  people  to  hear  the  Oglethorpe  story  and  ?et 
«    date    for    the    hearing. 

The  First  Church  Greenville  has  one  of  the  finest  memberships  in  our 
entire    Assembly    and    the    sight    of    their    vorshipping    congregation    is    on<.> 


88  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

added  to  the  subscription  already  made  by  one  of  their  gen- 
erous elders,  thus  placing  Greenville  at  the  head  of  all  South 
Carolina  towns  in  point  of  the  amount  given  to  her  university. 
Afterwards  came  Sparta**,  memorable  from  the  sleet  of 
Saturday  night  and  the  little  congregation  of  fifteen  who 
sang  the  long  meter  Doxology  together.  There  had  been 
no  congregation  so  small  to  hear  the  Oglethorpe  story  since 
the  days  of  the  rain  at  Milledgeville  nor  any  more  noble 
to  answer  it  for  opposite  their  name  on  the  Oglethorpe 
ledger  is  written  the  sum  of  $1,000,  in  the  name  of  W.  P. 


never  to  be  forgotten.  Greenville  herself  is  a  little  marvel  in  her  growth, 
in  her  spirit.   In  her  climate,  in  her  manufactories. 

At   the    hotel    Sunday    morning    I    said    to    the    negro    waiter: 

"This   is   a    pretty   good    town    you've   got    here."' 

"Yaas,   suh,    dis   is ;    hits   a   pow'ful  good   town." 

"About   the  best   town   in   the  State,   isn't   it?" 

"Well,    suh.    hits    amongst    de   bestes." 

"Couldn't   quite   say    it   is   the   very    best?" 

"Well,  I  tell  you,  Boss,  I  couldn't  quite  say  hit  was  the  very  bestes ; 
you  see.  Boss,  I'se  a  Spartanburg  nigger!" 

But  so  far  as  Oglethorpe  is  concerned.  In  respect  to  total  amount  given, 
she   is   "the   very    bestes." 

For  C.  C.  Good  added  a  thousand  dollars  to  Mr. — 's  and  other 

members  of  the  church  made  up  over  a  thousand  dollars  more. 

It  is  fitting  that  this  great  church  in  this  great  and  generous  city 
should    do    this    great    thing. 

When  South  Carolina  shall  have  all  done  anything  like  as  well,  the 
South  Carolina  Memorial  in  Oglethorpe  will  be  one  of  the  very  best  of  all. 


(44)    THE    SPIRIT    OF    SPARTA. 

There  are  two  people  who  will  always  remember  how  it  snowed  and 
sleeted  and  rained  on  March  21,  1914.  They  are  Dr.  Britt,  pastor  of  the 
Sparta  church — and  myself. 

His  membership  is  about  a  hundred  and  we  were  afraid  that  Sunday 
would  not  see  one-fifth  of  them  present.     But  it  was  clear. 

Dr.  Britt  had  told  me  that  there  were  four  people  who  MIGHT  help  if 
they    were   there   to   hear   the   story. 

There  were  nineteen  people  in  the  church  when  we  sang  the  longmeter 
Doxology.  The  total  number  was  thirty-one  after  a  few  stragglers  had  come 
in.     Four   or   five   of   them   were   strangers   and    Methodists. 

As   I   was   about   to   rise  to   speak.   Dr.   Britt   whispered : 

"None   of    the   four    are    here.' 

Yet  that  noble  band  of  men  and  women,  than  whom  I  have  met  none 
flier  in  all  ray  travels,  made  up  that  thousand  dollars  within  ten  minutes 
after  the  service  was  over  and  the  list  finally  went  up  to  fifteen  hundred 
dollars. 

"Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  89 

Beman,  descendant  of  C.  P.  Beman,  one  of  the  most  famous 
educators    Georgia  has  ever  known. 

Palatka^^  came  next,  being-  the  fifty-first  church  to  hear 
the  story  and  to  do  her  duty  with  a  subscription  of  $2,173. 
I  wonder  if  the  big  black-bird  is  still  sitting  on  the  limb  op- 
posite Dr.  Purcell's  home  which  overlooked  the  St.  John's 
river.  He  was  there  on  the  same  limb  each  of  the  times  that 
I  visited  Palatka. 

Water  Valley,  Mississippi^^,  was  the  fifty-second  church  to 
hear  the  story,  and  it  was  an  alumnus  of  the  Southwestern 
College  at  Clarkesville  who  led  the  subscription  that  placed 
R.  F.  Kimmons  on  our  board  of  founders. 


(45)        IN     PRAISE     OF     PAtiATKA. 

Purcell  Is  the  name  of  their  pastor,  ;i  man  who  believes  In  Ood  au'l 
fears  not  what  man  may  do  unto  him.  He  is  one  of  the  best  preachers  in 
Florida  and  he  Is  pastor  of  one  of  the  dearest,  quaintest  little  churches 
that   ever   you   saw. 

What's  more,  his  people  believe  in  him.  At  Greenville,  S.  C,  I  found 
a  great  preacher,  at  Sparta,  a  father  of  a  whole  village,  at  Palatka  a  brother 
of  a   whole   county. 

If  you  ever  go  to  Palatka  look  up  Into  that  gigantic  tree  in  front  of  the 
manse  and  you  will  see  my  old  friend,  a  gorgeous  blackbird  with  a  voice 
that  took  me  back  to  the  swaying  reeds  of  childhood's  brooks.  I  have  been 
In   Palatka   twice,   a   month    apart,   and   he   hadn't   moved. 

Purcell  told  me  that  there  was  a  man  in  Palatka  who  might  give  the 
Oglethorpe  thousand  if  he  happened  to  hear  the  story  and  he  was  always 
there,    rain    or   shine. 

The    sky    was    perfectly    cloudless. 

He    was    not    there. 


(46)     WESTWARD    TO    WATER    VALLEY. 

Water  Valley  is  a  little  city  of  approximately  five  thousand  population 
on  the  I.  C.  R.  R  in  Northern  Mississippi,  among  the  hills.  It  has  the  purest 
of  water  and   the   I.   C.   shops. 

Dr.  Hobson,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  there,  is  a  home  mission 
worker  whose  labors  have  been  l>lessed  marvplousl.v.  We  have  a  story  and 
nu  interesting  one  prepared  for  this  issue  of  The  Westmin.^ter  which  has  to 
do    with    one    of    his    mission    chapels. 

Water  Viilley  also  has  the  most  remarkable  street  I  have  ever  known 
la    one   respect. 

It  is  called  Main  street.  On  it  is  located  every  church  In  the  town  except 
one,  and   that  one  is  called   the  Main   Street  Methodist  Church. 

I  \sas  delightfully  entertained  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  E.  Leland. 
II  narksville  man.  If  all  the  CInrksville  men  are  like  him.  that  Institution 
Las   got   the  world   beat  on    alumni. 

Altlioiigli  Dr.  Hobson  was  eighteen  miles  away  and  it  was  the  first 
time  Water  Valley  and  I  had  ever  met.  they  gave  Oglethorpe  the  man  slie 
asked    for,    being   the   fifty-second   church    to   do   it. 


90  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

The  following'  Sunday  at  Tampa*'  was  the  second  rainy 
Sunday  out  of  fifty-three.  If  it  be  true  that  those  who  look 
for  providences  shall  have  providences  to  look  for,  surely 
some  meaning  shall  be  gathered  from  this  fact.  But  rainy 
though  it  was,  the  Oglethorpe  list  was  well  filled  and  Tampa 
took  her  place  in  accordance  with  her  power. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  paragraphs  of  this  whole  story 
concerns  Little  Rock,  Ark**.    As  I  write,  I  can  see  the  beau- 


(47)     THK    TESTING    AT    TAMPA. 

1  am  just  back  from  vay  trip  to  Tampa,  riding  the  Royal  Palm  into  At- 
lanta at  six  o'clock  this  morning  in  tho  midst  of  what  my  stenogr£^pbc^ 
calls   "some   rain  !" 

Dr.  J.  C.  Tims  Is  pastor  of  the  Tampa  First  Church.  He  is  a  man  of 
such  a  kind  as  may  not  be  met  with  any  too  often. 

I    saw    an    unusual    thing    happen    there,    too. 

It  rained ! 

It  was  the  fifty-third  time  thnt  I  h.id  tolfi  the  Oglethorpe  story  in 
Tnrions  pulpits  from  Text's  to  Virginia,  and,  excepting  only  that  first  Sun- 
day   at    MilledgeTille.    it    had    never    rained. 

When  I  woke  up  and  looked  out  of  tho  hotel  window  at  a  tropical  down- 
pour and  realized  what  it  meant  for  the  congregation,  it  seemed  impossible 
that   it   should    really   be   raining' 

The  trouble  was  that  T  did  not  realize  what  it  meant,  for  that  congre- 
gation— that   reminds   mp   of   a    story.      ;Mrs.    Tims    told    it   to    me. 

Mr.  C.  L.  Nance  has  a  very,  very  sweet  little  girl  who  was  talking  to 
one  of  her  playmafes  about  the  rain  one  day.  Mr.  Nance  is  a  young  elder 
of  Tims'  church.  The  little  playmate  had  told  her  friend  of  hew  the  rain 
had  rained  out  their  congregation  the  Sunday  before.  Then  little  Miss 
Nance    replied  : 

"It    didn't    rain    at    our   chnrcli !" 

Dr.  Tims'  congregation  kept  coming  and,  although  it  rained  everywhere 
else  in   Tampa,   "it  didn't  vain   at  our  church!" 

Again  they  gave  us  the  man  >ve  asked  for  and  as  if  that  were  not  enough 
made    it    two. 

Dr.  Tims  is  going  to  build  a  handsome  new  church  on  a  new  site  before 
long.  The  present  building  is  too  small  .-ind  too  poorly  equipped  and  needs 
to    be    changed. 

But   he    will    never    hare    to    change   his    people. 

(4»)    THE    LEADERSHIP    OF   LITTL,E    ROCK. 

When  the  Spanish  explorers  sailed  up  the  Mississippi  and  thence  up  the 
Arkansas  they  found  their  first  rock  (and  it  was  none  too  large)  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  present  center  of  the  metropolis  of  Arkansas. 

The  first  time  you  cress  the  river  the  view  of  Little  Rock  from  the 
bridge  will  strike  you  most  attractively,  and  later  when  you  stand  in  the 
cfnter  of  the  city  and  notice  its  well-arranged  buildings  and  streets  and  its 
towering    office    structures,    you    will    like    Little    Rock. 

There  are  three  strong  Presbyterian  churches  in  the  city. 

Dr.   John    Van    Lear   is   the    pastor   of   the    First   Church.     They    have   just 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  91 

tiful  river  and  the  new  modern  city  rising  just  beyond  her 
and  1  think  of  Dr.  Van  Lear  and  Dr.  Hay  Watson  Smith 
and  Dr.  J.  L.  Read,  the  three  beloved  and  efficient  pastors 
of  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  Little  Rock.  Each  of  these 
churches  had  its  work  to  do  and  each  had  its  burdens  to 
carr}^,  but  each  also  did  its  duty  to  their  university.  Worthy 
to  be  mentioned  in  the  same  breath  with  them  was  Baton 
Rouge,   Louisiana'*^   whose   splendid   generosity    (I   find   that 

Bold  their  old  building  and  are  erecting  a  new  church  a  few  blocks  away.  The 
Sunday  School  building  has  just  been  finished  and  it  is  probably  the  best 
arianged  in  the  Southern  Assembly.     The  auditorium  will  be  built  soon. 

When  I  told  the  Oglethorpe  story  in  Dr.  Van  Lear's  church  it  was  the 
first  time  in  all  Arkansas.  Yet  I  found  that  the  way  had  already  been  pre- 
pared by  the  Great  Hand  (Manu  Dei  Resurrexit)  and  the  First  Church  led 
the   state   with   approximately    two    thousand    dollars. 

The  very  next  Sabbath  I  was  at  the  Second  Church,  of  which  Dr.  Hay 
Watson  Smith  is  pastor,  and  a  greatly  beloved  pastor  at  that.  I  found  in 
him  the  same  warm  friendship  and  the  same  big-hearted  optimism  that  Dr. 
Van  Lear  had  shown  toward  Oglethorpe.  Again  they  showed  that  Arkansas 
may  be  depended  on  to  do  her  duty  and  they  added  two  thousand  dollars 
to  the  part  the  Presbyterians  of  Little  Rock  would  take  in  the  resurrection  of 
their   old   University. 

Then  just  a  week  or  two  ago  I  went  back  to  Little  Rock  to  be  with  the 
Central  Presbyterian.  J.  L.  Read,  one  of  the  most  lovable  young  men  in  our 
Assembl.v,  is  the  pastor  of  this,  one  of  the  most  devoted  organizations  in  the 
South.  Their  membership  is  not  large,  but  their  hearts  are.  One  of  their 
greatest  souled  men  gave  a  thousand  dollars  and  others  added  to  it  until 
the  subscription  of  the  Presbyterians  of  Little  Rock  (there  are  only  about  a 
thousand  of  them)   amounted  to  ever  five  thousand  dollars. 

It  is  easy  to  write  this  marvelous  record  of  generosity,  but  it  is  prac- 
tically  impossible   to  match  it — except  in   a   few  other  Presbyterian   churches. 

The  work  of  Oglethorpe  University  has  just  started  and  here  is  one  band 
of   Presbyterians   offering   five   thousand   dollars! 

The  Presbyterians  of  Little  Rock  —  upon  such  rocks  as  these  are  churches 
and  universities   are   built! 


(40)    IiIG-HE.4Kl'ED    HATON    ROUGE. 

Elsewhere  in  this  issue  is  told  the  story  of  the  progress  of  Presby- 
terianism  in  Louisiana  and  especially  around  Baton  Rouge,  but  when  it  comes 
to  telling  in  a  deserving  way  the  story  of  their  generosity  to  Oglethorpe 
University,   it  is   hard  to  find  the  right  word. 

Here  is  a  church  which  ten  years  ago  had  one  hundred  members,  giving 
four  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  dollars  to  refound  Oglethorpe, 
and  giving  it  voluntarily,  without  solicitation  except  the  presentation  of  the 
cause   from   the   pulpit. 

What  if  the  church  has  grown  under  the  ministrations  of  Dr.  Hunter  to 
over  four  hundred  members?  That  is  ten  dollars  for  every  man,  woman  and 
child   on   the  church   roll. 

The   removal  of  the  duty   on   sugar  had   disastrously   affected   a   large   part 


92  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

this  language  does  not  contain  enough  adjectives  express- 
ing the  idea  that  I  want  to  convey,  so  1  am  using  the  best 
that  it  has  over  and  over  again),  added  i^4,235  to  our  ledger 
and  ranked  that  church,  which  a  few  years  ago  was  prac- 
tically a  mission,  up  with  the  dozen  leading  churches  of  the 
Assembly  hitherto  visited. 

Afterward  came  Greenville,  Mississippi,^*^  and  Jackson, 
Tenn.,  and  Norfolk,  Virginia,  to  complete  the  work  of  the 
spring  and  another  year  had  written  almost  $100,000  to  the 
Oglethorpe  list.  In  each  of  these  three  cities  the  same  re- 
ception met  us. 

I  mention  particularly  that  generous  hearted  Pennsylva- 
nian,  L.  L.  Curtis,  of  Jackson/'^  because  his  heart  was  too 

of  the  community  and  the  day  I  was  iu  Baton  Rouge  a  large  sugar  planter 
committed    suicide. 

Yet  as  I  listened  to  the  choir  I  heard  them  sing: 

Be   thou   still,   it   is   thy    Father's   work  of  grace, 
Wait  thou  yet  before  His  face, 
Be  thou  still,  be  thou  still. 
Excluding    Georgia,    they    broke    the    record    for   proportionate    giving    for 
any  church  above  four  hundred  membership. 


(50)  ON  THE  BLUE  GOOSE  TO  GREENVILLE. 

The  Blue  Goose  leaves  Birmingham  at  seven  in  the  morning  and  gets  to 
Greenville,  Miss.,  at  seven-forty  in  the  evening,  and  whether  it  is  on  time  or 
not,  if  you  are  the  Oglethorpe  Man,  Dr.  Gr.ives  will  meet  you  at  the  other  end 

The  boost  they  gave  Oglethorpe! 

Again    that    ten-dollar   a    member    proportion,    almost. 

Dr.  Graves  has  just  been  called  to  Greenville  and  his  work  is  opening 
up  there  finely.     The  men  of  the  church  are  back  of  him  and  he  is  after  them 

After  the  service,  while  men  and  women  were  putting  their  names  to  the 
list  of  givers,  came  a  young  man : 

"My  father  also  was  at  Gettysburg."  he  said,  "on  the  Federal  side.  He 
was  there  where  Oglethorpe  died.  And  I,  his  son,  want  to  help  her  to  rise 
from   the   dead." 

Then  he  put  a  liberal  subscription  down  on  the  list. 

What  a  marvelous  thing  is  this  great,  kind  heart  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.     Its   generosity   is    past   belief. 

I  never  cease  wondering  at  the  way  they  are  learning  to  love  Oglethorpe. 


(51)    JOHNSON   AND    JACKSON. 

They  sound  well  together,  do  they  Qot? 

They  also  are  two  good  generals.  One  of  them  is  leading  the  progresa 
of  the  central  western  section  of  Tennessee  and  the  other  is  leading  the 
progress   of   Presbyterianlsm   in  a   thriving   city. 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  93 

large  to  be  confined  to  his  native  state  or  even  to  the  state 
of  his  adoption,  and  also  F.  S.  Royster,  of  Norfolk,-^-"  the  first 
city  of  Virginia  to  hear  the  Oglethorpe  story. 


Albert  Sidney   Johnson — and   Jackson,   Tennessee. 

Johnson  told  me  at  the  beginning  that  as  soon  as  that  magnificent  church 
they  had  just  finished  was  completed  he  would  be  ready  for  nie  to  tell  the 
Oglethorpe  story   to   his   people,  and,   true   to   his  promise,   he  was. 

I  found  a  pretty  city  with  every  evidence  of  prosperity  on  all  sides,  but 
the   prettiest  thing   in   Jackson   is   the   First   Presbyterian    Church. 

By  the  way,  this  is  the  church  that  Dr.  Mark  A.  Matthews  was  once 
the  pastor  of,  but  they  have  built  the  new  structure  since  he  left. 

As  soon  as  Johnson  found  out  that  I  was  at  the  hotel  he  took  me  to  the 
homes  of  his  congregation,  not  knowing — or  did  he  know? — what  a  blessing 
he  was  conferring  on   me  In  the  doing  of  it. 

And  because  I  cannot  possibly  explain  what  I  mean  by  it  you  must  just 
believe  me  when  I  say  that  I  saw  there  as  sweet  and  pure  an  illustration 
of  how  joy  may  be  brought  out  of  infinite  pains  as  I  have  ever  seen  in  all 
my    life. 

Sweetness  from  suffering,  joy  from  great  regret,  cheerfulness  out  of  an 
unlessened  burden. 

To  be  a  person  like  that  is  a  much  bigger  thing  than  to  build  a  Uni- 
Tersity. 

Any  one  w-ho  knows  Jackson  and  the  people  of  the  First  Tresbyteriau 
Church  there  would  be  a  winner  in  a  guess  as  to  what  they  did  for  Ogle- 
thorpe. 

But  we  may  as  well  write  it  out  plain  so  that  those  who  do  not  know 
either  may   hear. 

They  gave  an  even  two  thousand  dollars  to  give  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Church   a  University  worthy  of  all  her  traditions. 

So  far  Tennessee  has  averaged  something  like  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  the  Synod.  That  ought  to  give  us  a  first-class  Tennessee  Memo- 
rial at  Oglethorpe. 


(52a)      THE    PACE    THAT    XORFOLK    SET. 

Stuart  Nye  Hutchison  is  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Norfolk,  "Virginia. 

He  is  a  son  of  that  Hutchison  and  a  nephew  of  that  other  Hutchison,  the 
one  of  whom  was  salutatorian  aind  the  other  the  valedictorian  of  that  famous 
class  in   Davidson's   history,   before  the  war. 

When  the  war  came  these  two  brothers  and  a  third  were  separated.  One 
lived  In  New  York,  one  in  Charlotte,  and  the  other  far  out  west.  They 
never  saw  one  another  again  though  they  all  three  lived  to  be  over  eighty 
yearB  of  age. 

Stuart  Nye  Hutchison  is  a  son  of  the  New  York  brother.  He  was  graduated 
from  Lafayette  College  and  Princeton  Seminary  and  when  the  First  Church, 
Norfolk,  needed  the  right  man,  James  I.  Vance  knew  where  to  help  to 
find    him. 

When  I  told  the  Oglethorpe  story  to  his  jieople  it  was  the  first  time 
that  the  old  familiar  name  had  resounded  in  a  Virginia  Presbyterian  pulpit 
for  a   half  century. 

Was  it  not  a  fitting  thing  that  it  was  in  such  a  pulpit? 


94  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

On  September  27  the  work  for  1914-15  began  at  Grenada,-""-^ 
Mississippi,  in  the  midst  of  the  terrible  depression  caused  by 
the  world  war.  It  is  not  the  least  of  the  remarkable  state- 
ments that  may  be  made  about  the  history  of  the  founding 
of  Oglethorpe  University  that  at  a  time  when  such  cotton 
as  could  be  sold  was  bringing  five  and  six  and  seven  cents, 
the  marvelous  record  of  the  Oglethorpe  chain  was  not  broken 
at  a  single  link.    Grenada,  Mississippi,  was  the  first  to  prove 

For  the  First  Church,  Norfolk,  is  the  oldest  Presbyterian  church  organ- 
ization in  the  Southern  Assembly  and  for  aught  of  denial  to  the  contrary 
the  oldest  on   the   North   American   Continent. 

It  has  seen  Oglethorpe  come,  livt  her  half-eeutury  of  wonderful  life 
and  go  with  the  sixties. 

So  she  reached  out  her  hand  and  helped  her  to  rise  again  from  the  dead. 

P.  S.  Royster,  when   he  heard  the  story — 

Have  you  ever  met  Mr.  Royster?  You  have  heard  of  men  who  look  like 
Woodrow   Wilson?     Well,   Wilson   looks  like   Mr.    Royster. 

Their  features,  their  set  Jaws,  their  silhouette,  their  eyes,  their  smile  are 
so  similar  that  you  would  recognize  the  one  from  having  seen  the  picture  of 
the  other. 

Twenty-t^vo  hundred  dollars  was   the  total  from   the  Church. 

Of  which  Mr.  Royster  gave  one  thousand  and  other  members  of  the 
Church   gave  another  twelve  hundred. 

When  I  walked  into  the  marvelously  beautiful  interior  of  this  church, 
finished  in  such  exquisite  taste,  I  wondered  what  sort  of  hearts  were  inside 
the   breasts   of  the   people  who  worshipped   there. 

May    I    tell    you  ? 

A  little  lady  who  is  a  seamstress  gave  one   hundred   dollars. 

A   strong    man    gave   a   thousand    dollars. 

And  between  them  were  a  noble  band  of  men  and  women  who  heard 
the  voice  of  God  in  the  call  of  Oglethorpe,  who  saw  what  was  and  what 
might  still  be  and  who  were  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision. 


(52b)     THK    GRIT    OF    GRENADA. 

Grenada,  Mississippi,  is  in  the  northern  part  of  that  state  adjacent  to 
the  great  Delta  cotton  country  and  dependent  upon  the  fleecy  staple  for  its 
financial  progress.  It  had  every  reasonable  excuse  whereunder  the  Ogle- 
thorpe cause  might  h.-tve  been  postponed,  yet  its  pastor,  Rev.  J.  C.  Cirothers. 
is  not  the  kind  of  man  who  makes  excuses  and  he  and  his  session  willingly 
Invited  us  to  tell  the  Oglethorpe  story  to  their  people.  This  was  the  first 
time  that  he  have  made  a  public  presentation  of  the  cause  since  the  great  war 
of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere  began,  so  we  were  just  a  little  frightened  over 
the  possibility  of  this  church  being  the  first  to  fail  to  put  its  member  on 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  Oglethorpe.  How  useless  this  fright  was,  was 
shown  by  the  splendid  response  given  by  the  Grenada  folk.  Facing  all  that 
the  war  might  bring  to  them,  they  nevertheless  over-subscribed  the  .?1.()00 
and   will   shortly   choose  their   member   for   the  Board. 

For  the  grit  and  grace  of  such  a  folk  as  these  all  who  love  Cliristlaa 
education  are  grateful. 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  95 

this  and  Fayctteville^^,  Tennessee,  endorsed  it  on  the  follow- 
ing- Sunday. 

Crowley,  Louisiana^,  forgot  that  there  was  a  war  for  a 

little  while  and  wrote  $3,750  down  as  the  part  that  she  would 
like  to  take  in  her  university. 


(52c)      HIS    WHOLE    L,ITTt,E    LIFE. 

One  night  In  Grenada,  Mississippi,  a  young  couple  waited  by  the  pulpit 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  shake  hands  with  the  Executive  Representa- 
tive of  Oglethorpe   University. 

"We  heard  you  tell  the  Oglethorpe  story  this  morning,"  the  woman  said — 
and  there  were  tears  In  her  eyes. 

"Yes,"  continued  her  husband,  "and  we  have  been  talking  It  over 
since" — there  were  tears  also  in  his  eyes — "We  had  a  little  boy.  On  his 
birthday  we  put  a  little  sum  in  the  bank  for  him,  and  we  and  others  had 
added  to  It  from  time  to  time  until  it  reached  $85.00.     And  then  he — died." 

There  was  silence  then  for  a  moment. 

"And  we  thought" — the  mother  said.  "Yes,"  the  father  continued,  "we're 
been  talking  it  over  and  we've  decided  to  give  it  all  to  you.  We  want  to 
put   his   whole  little  life   into    Oglethorpe." 

Sleep,  O  little  one,  in  peace.  And  may  the  gentle  angels  tell  you  of  this, 
that  you  may  love  father  and  mother  all  the  more. 

"A  whole  little  life  for  Oglethorpe." 

Into  the  blue  granite  of  Oglethorpe's  first  bulldiag  the  little  life-savlnga 
will  go.     There  It  will  help  to  bless  others. 

It  will  speak   to  them  of  God   and  wisdom  and  Jesus. 

These  Three  shall  be  known  on  her  campus  and  honored  In  her  class- 
rooms.    Her  great  men  shall  sing  their   praises. 

For  if  not — the  very  stones  would  cry  out. 


(53)    THE    FAITH   OF    FAYETTE VILLE. 

Fayettevllle,  Tennessee,  is  located  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sections 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  that  State.  It  is  «lso  one  of  the  oldest  Presby- 
teri.'in  organizations  in  Tennessee,  there  being  only  one  other  church  in  th- 
State  whose  organization  preceded  theirs. 

Their  centennial  was  celebrated  some  ,\ears  ago  and  the  fine  old  cliurch 
In  which  they  worship  at  present  has  something  like  75  years  of  age. 

The  kind  of  people  that  they  are  is  evidenced  sufficiently  by  what  they 
did  for  Oglethorpe  University.  "If  Grenada  can  do  it,  so  can  we."  is  what 
they   said  in  their  hearts,  and  so  they   did. 

To  Rev.  R.  S.  Brown,  the  pastor;  to  George  A.  Jarvis,  wlio  entertained 
the  Oglethorpe  man  so  hospitably  and  kindly ;  to  the  boys  of  the  Morgan 
School,  who  came  out  iu  force  and  crowded  the  church  at  the  night  service; 
to  all  the  big-hearted  Presb.vterl.ms  who  made  their  subscription  in  order 
that  their  old  University  might  be  restored,  we  hereby  return  thanks  in  the 
itame  of  all  lovers  of  Christian   education. 


(5^1)    CROWLEY.   A   NATIONAL   FRE.SBYTERIAN    CHURCH   IN    LOUISIANA. 

Elsewhere  in    this   issue  we    print   a   most    rem.-irkable   story.      It   describes 
a  church  at  least  half  of  whom  are  from   Illinois  and    Indiana,   or  elsewhere 


96  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

Danville,  Kentucky-'^  whose  pastor,  Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  was 
an  alumnus  of  old  Oglethorpe  college,  put  $1,000  beneath  it 
and  Monroe^%  North  Carolina,  did  the  same  with  an  open- 
in  the  Middle  West,  and  wlio,  liaviiij;  ^oiie  to  Loiiisian.i  during  tlie  last  ten 
or  twenty  ycais,  have  I'oimed  a  Southern  I'lesbyteriau  Church  and  have  come 
very  close  to  leading  the  entire  Synod  in  those  qualities  and  labors  which 
characterize  excellence. 

We  told  the  story  of  Oglethorpe  University  to  this  church  just  a  week 
or  two  ago.  When  we  learned  that  the  entire  choir  was  Irom  Illinois,  and 
almost  the  entire  church  from  elsewhere  than  Louisiana  originally,  we  knew 
that  it  would  be  a  splendid  opportunity  to  test  the  appeal  of  Oglethorpe 
University  to  the  Presbyterionism  of  the  Nation;  the  result  of  this  test  was 
magnificent;  two  members  of  the  church  each  gave  $1.(X)0  to  Oglethorpe,  and 
ether  members  made  up  a  contribution  of  some  $1,750  more,  this  making  a 
total  of  almost  $25.00  per  member  for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the 
organization.  This  should  mean  to  all  intelligent  people  a  great  deal  more 
than  the  fact  that  Oglethorpe  has  received  a  line  contribution  from  some 
generous-hearted  friends.  It  shows,  among  other  things,  what  brothers  can 
<io  when  they  pull  together.  It  shows  what  fine  Louisiana  Presbyterians 
the  Illinois  Presbyterians  make,  and  it  leads  us  all  to  that  irresistible  hope 
that  some  day  there  shall  be  on  the  books,  as  there  is  now  in  the  hearts, 
no   line  of  division   between   the    Presbyterians   of  this  nation. 

And  so  the  whole  Southern  Pi-esbyteri.m  Church  extends  to  you  western 
men  and  women  of  Crowley,  who  have  come  down  to  the  Pelican  State  to 
throw  in  your  lot  with  what  ^e  may  call  our  people  and  our  Church,  a 
cordial  greeting  of  thanks  and  appreciation.  Von  did  a  great  thing  and  you 
stand  for  a  great  thing,  and  your  Church  that  is  built  upon  God  and  united 
Presbyterianism    is    a    great    Church. 


(55)    COLI^EGE    DAYS    IN    OLD    OGLETHORPE. 
By    E.   M.    Green. 

When  the  Presbyterian  Council  met  in  Washington  City  in  the  fall  of 
1899,  the  Rev.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  who  was  at  that  time  pastor  of  a  churoa 
in  that  city,  invited  the  whole  body  to  a  reception  at  his  house.  When  pre- 
sented to  him,  I  remarked  that  I  was  a  student  at  Oglethorpe  University  while 
his  uncle.  Dr.  Samuel  K.  Talmage,  was  president  of  that  institution.  Ho 
seemed  much  interested  and  said,  "Please  walk  into  the  next  room  and  see 
his  portrait."  Stepping  into  the  room  indicated  by  a  wave  of  his  hand, 
I  enjoyed  one  of  the  pleasantest  surprises  of  my  life — a  picture  hung  on  the 
wall  which  I  instantly  recognized  and  the  history  of  which  I  well  knew, 
but  which  I  supposed  had  been  destroyed  during  the  war — it  was  the  por- 
trait of  President  Talmage,  presented  by  the  students  in  1859.  Its  history 
was  this:  Seeing  that  the  health  of  their  beloved  president  was  failing,  the 
students  held  a  meeting  and  resolved  to  have  a  handsome  portrait  of  him 
painted  by  a  distinguished  artist  who  bad  temporarily  opened  a  studio  in 
Milledgeville.  A  committee,  of  which  I  was  a  member,  was  appointed  to  wait 
on  him  and  ask  him  to  sit  for  the  picture.  He  was  much  affected  by  this 
evidence  of  regard  on  the  part  of  the  student  body,  demurred  kindly  because 
of  the  expense  they  would  incur,  but  yielded  to  their  request,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks  the  portrait  was  finished  and  handsomely  framed. 
On  commencement  day  it  was  unveiled  and  was  presented  to  the  board  of 
trustees    by    one    of    the    students    selected    to    perform    that    duty,    Stlnson 


I 


«  a 


ij5 


53 


>J  a 


C    -   S 


AGAIN    THE     CHURCHES  ^ 

handed  generosity,  doubled  by  the  financial  situation  in  the 
Old  North  State. 

And  then  came  one  of  those  things  that  makes  a  man  know 


Little,  in  a  brief  and  very  appropriate  speech.  It  was  accepted  for  the  Uni- 
versity by  the  president  of  the  board,  the  Hon.  John  T.  Gresham,  of  Macou. 
And  now  I  looked  on  that  portrait  once  more  which  I  had  not  seen  since 
that  memorable  commencement  day,  forty  years   before. 

Returning  to  the  parlor,  I  found  Dr.  Talmage  still  standing  at  the 
head  of  the  receiving  line,  and  asked  him  to  tell  me  how  this  portrait  so 
long  lost  had  come  into  his  possession.  He  said  that  after  the  death  of 
his  uncle,  in  he  dismantling  of  the  college  building,  the  portrait  was  sent  to 
the  home  of  the  widow  near  by,  probably  for  safe  keeping,  and  visiting  her 
soon  after  the  war  she  presented  it  to  him,  and  it  had  been  in  his  possession 
ever   since. 

Soon  after  this  Dr.  Talmage  died.  A  few  years  later  when  the  surviving 
alumni  of  Oglethorpe  University  proposed  to  have  a  reunion,  I  wrote  to  the 
Kev.  James  H.  Taylor,  of  Washington  City,  requesting  him  to  see  Mrs. 
Talmage  and  have  a  photograph  of  the  portrait  taken  and  sent  to  me  to 
be  shown  to  the  old  students,  who  would  be  happy  to  see  it.  He  found  her 
at  the  hotel,  and  she  told  him  that  after  her  husband's  death  the  home  was 
broken  up  and  the  portrait  had  been  sent  to  their  son.  Rev.  Frank  DeWitt 
Talmage,  in  Philadelphia.  I  immediately  wrote  him,  making  the  same  request. 
He  replied  that  he  would  have  a  photograph  of  the  portrait  taken  and  sent 
to  me ;  but  his  death  occurred  soon  after  and  there  my  quest  ended. 

The    Professors. 

In  the  old  days  it  was  thought  that  four  professors  were  enough  for  a 
college.  Whether  more  would  have  been  better,  I  may  not  say,  but  as 
things  were  those  we  had  seemed  to  be  all  that  we  needed;  teachers  and 
students  were  brought  close  together,  and  felt  the  mutual  benefit  of  per- 
sonal contact  and  intimate  acquaintance;  all  did  good  work;  fairly  good 
scholars  were  turned  out  from  the  institution  every  year,  very  many  of 
them  became  useful  men,  and  some  quite  prominent  both  in  church  and 
state. 

Dr.  Talmage  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  courteous  and  kind,  of 
dignified  and  elegant  demeanor,  an  eloquent  preacher,  and  a  scholar  of 
culture  and  polish.  He  always  commanded  the  respect  and  affection  of  the 
students. 

Professor  Lane  was  a  man  of  great  simplicity  of  character,  "an  Israelite 
in  whom  was  no  guile."  He  was  universally  esteemed  for  his  goodness  and 
was  an  excellent  and  faithful  teacher. 

Professor  Smith  was  a  more  rugged  character,  a  man  of  philosophic  mind 
and  great  strength  of  character.  He  was  very  kind,  though  somewhat 
reserved,  and  got  nearer  to  the  students  than  any  of  his  colleagues. 

But  the  scholar  of  the  faculty  was  the  young  professor,  still  in  his 
twenties,  who  had  just  returned  from  Heidelburg  with  the  highest  honors  of 
that  great  university,  where  he  was  known  as  'the  wonder  of  America."  Pro- 
fessor Woodrow  possessed  the  finest  general  scholarship  and  could  have 
filled  with  ability  any  chair  in  the  college,  but  he  was  specially  accom- 
plished as  a  scientist.  His  instructions  were  highly  valued,  and  in  later 
days  his  attainments  not  only  in  natural  science,  but  in  other  departments 
of  learning,  were  recognized  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe. 


98  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

that  there  is  a  God  in  Heaven  and  that  He  lives  in  the  hearts 
of  men.  Dr.  J.  W.  Bachman,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Chattanooga,  Tennessee^',  a  man  of  clear  outlook 

Lanier. 

M  the  beginning  of  the  hist  term  of  the  collegiate  year,  April,  1857,  a 
new  student  appeared  one  morning  in  the  sophomore  class  room.  He  seemed 
very  young,  with  a  sweet  girlish  face,  and  his  manner  was  very  shy  and 
diffident.  The  question  passed  around  the  class,  "Who  is  this  little  inno- 
cent that  has  dropped  in  liero  this  morning?"  and  the  answer  was,  "Sidney 
Lanier  of  Macon."  The  first  time  that  he  was  called  to  recite,  his  Latin 
was  read  with  such  fluency  and  translated  with  such  elegance  and  correct- 
ness that,  young  and  almost  childish  as  he  s^eemed  to  be,  he  was  recog- 
nized as  easily  the  peer  of  his  older  classmates. 

Sid  Lanier  soon  became  a  favorite  in  the  college,  and  by  his  gentlenes;-; 
and  courtesy,  his  purity  and  real  manliness,  he  gained  the  affections  and 
commanded  the  respect  of  all  his  fellow-students. 

It  was  soon  learned  that  he  was  master  of  the  flute;  and  with  Little 
LeConte's  violin  and  John  Lamar's  violoncello  a  college  orchestra  was 
formed  that  gave  us  exquisitely  beautiful  music.  In  his  junior  year  he 
proved  himself  a  fine  student;  and  his  essays,  somewhat  out  of  the  line  of 
the  ordinary  student's  thought,  were  always  interesting,  but  a  little  above 
our  comprehension.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  dropped  out  of  the  class  and 
we  graduated  without  him.  But  the  next  year  he  returned  and  finished  his 
college  course.  The  rest  of  his  brief  career  the  whole  English-speaking, 
poetry-loving   world    knows. 

The  Old  Stand. 

In  recent  years,  visiting  my  sons  who  are  on  the  medical  staff  of  the 
Georgia  State  Sanitarium,  near  the  site  of  old  Oglethorpe  I'niversity,  I  have 
frequently  stood  on  the  ground  so  familiar  to  me  a  half  century  ago.  But 
all  is  changed,  not  a  building  is  standing  that  made  the  university  of  my 
college  days.  The  main  building,  a  large  and  imposing  structure,  stood  at 
the  head  of  the  campus,  while  rows  of  cottages  on  either  side  provided  rooms 
for  the  students  It  was  proposed  to  erect  two  large  dormitories,  one  on 
either  side  of  the  main  building,  and  one  of  these  was  built  and  still  stands, 
being  now  used  as  a  private  sanitarium.  But  there  is  nothing  left  to  remind 
one  of  the  Oglethorpe  of  my  day.  On  the  20th  of  July  last  I  stood  near  by 
the  spot  where  the  old  Central  building  once  lifted  its  majestic  form,  and  I 
remembered  that  55  years  ago  that  very  day  the  class  of  '59  received  their 
diplomas  and  separated,  each  to  go  his  own  way  in  the  world,  never  all  to 
meet  again  in  this  life.  Of  that  good  class  some  soon  ended  their  brief 
careers  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  of  many  others  I  never  heard  again.  So 
far  as  I  know,  only  four  of  that  class  remain  today,  all  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  viz.:  Rev.  Dr.  George  L.  Pefrie,  of  Charlottesville,  Va.,  our  first 
honor  man;  Rev.  J.  D.  A.  Brown,  of  Aberdeen,  N.  C. ;  Rev.  W.  B.  Bingham, 
of  Mt.  Olive,  Miss.,  and  the  writer  of  these  reminiscences.  If  any  others  of 
that  class  -are  living,  we  would  be  glad  to  hear  of  them. 

I  remember,  too,  that  57  years  before,  at  the  annual  commencement,  the 
handsome  and  accomplished  young  minister  who  had  just  come  from  Staun- 
ton, Va.,  to  become  pastor  of  the  First  Church  of  Augusta,  Ga..  Rev.  Joseph 
R.  Wilson,  had  brought  his  little  family  to  visit  his  wife's  brother.  Pro- 
fessor  James   Woodrow.     The   young   professor  was  very  proud   of  the   baby, 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  99 

and  kindly  sentiment,  invited  me  to  tell  the  story  in  his  church 
at  a  time  when  the  clouds  were  deepening  rather  than  being 
dispelled.     The  Belgian  Relief  Fund  was  claiming  the  atten- 

his  little  nephew,  just  six  mouths  old.  Looking  admiringlj'  at  the  little  fol- 
low as  be  sat  lu  the  middle  of  the  floor,  playing  with  his  rattle,  so  plump, 
serious,  and  quiet,  he  said  to  me,  "Did  you  ever  see  such  a  splendid,  dig- 
nified baby  as  Tommie?  He  looks  to  me  like  a  moderator  of  a  General 
Assembly."  Had  he  been  a  prophet  he  would  have  said  President  of  the 
United  States.  Tommie  lost  somewhat  of  his  good  looks  as  he  grew  up, 
and  also  lost  his  first  name;  but  as  Woodrow  Wilson  he  is  known  to  the 
whole    world. 

But  time  moves  on  and  changes  come.  "One  generation  passeth  away 
and  another  generation  cometh,"  babies  grow  up  and  become  moderators  and 
presidents;  college  students  become  old  men  and  end  their  days;  and  it  may 
be  that  a  new  and  greater  Oglethorpe  may  arise  out  of  the  Oglethorpe  of  old. 


(55)    DR.    GREEN    AND    DANVILLE. 

Fifty-three  years  ago  there  was  a  boy  at  old  Oglethorpe  University  named 
Ed   Green. 

As  he  reads  these  lines  what  memories  must  come  to  him  of  those  days  I 

He  has  written  out  for  you  to  read  in  the  Westminster  a  good  long  Story 
of  Old  Days  at  Oglethorpe  which  will  begin  with  the  next  number  of  this 
magazine.     Having  read  them,  we  can  promise  our  readers  a  treat. 

In  the  meantime  let  us  announce  that  Dr.  Green's  people  at  Danville,  Ky., 
put  him  on   the  Board  of  Directors  of  his  old   Alma   Mater. 

Dr.  Green  is  the  only  living  alumnus  of  Oglethorpe  who  is  an  ex-mod- 
erator  of   the  Assembly. 

Dr.  Green  says  he  is  over  seventy  years  old.  It  is  one  of  hi.s  few  real 
mistakes. 

By  the  way,  he  is  chairman  of  the  .\lumni  Committee  appointed  to  reor- 
ganize the  Alumni  of  Oglethorpe  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  board  of  direct- 
ors. This  meeting  will  be  held  on  January  21,  1915,  when  the  cornerstone  of 
the  new  Oglethorpe  will   be  paid. 


(56)    MONROE    AND    HER    PRESBYTERIANS. 

Monroe,  North  Carolina,  is  considered  one  of  the  best  all  round  towns 
in    the   state. 

The  Seaboard  Air  Line  Railway  has  made  it  a  sort  of  headquarters  for 
many  clever  conductors  and  trainmen  of  their  line  by  selecting  Monroe  a3 
a  division  headquarters.  When  you  come  south  from  New  York  you  notice 
that    you    change  conductors   at   Monroe. 

A  man  who  was  born  and  reared  on  the  Seaboard  comes  to  know  the 
conductors  almost  as  brothers.     They  are  a  fine  body  of  men. 

Yet  the  city  is  not  a  "railroad  town.'"  Its  population  is  cosmopolitan 
and  includes   all   ranks   of  life. 

When  we  went  to  Monroe  to  tell  Dr.  Gurney's  good  people  the  Oglethorpe 
story  we  expected  to  find  just  such  a  church  as  we  did  find. 

Y'ou  see  we  knew  Captain   Lane  and  Dr.  Gurney  and — J.   M.  Belk. 

Have   you  ever  met  Belk? 

Well,  any  sensible  church  would  be  glad  to  trade  a  dozen  perfectly  excel- 
lent men  for  one  J.  M.  Belk.     . 


100  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

tion  of  the  whole  church  except  such  as  they  could  give  to 
the  Associated  Charities,  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  to  their 
own  finances.  When  the  story  had  been  told  that  morning 
and  the  invitation  had  been  given  to  any  who  would  like 
to  aid  in  the  great  enterprise  to  speak  to  me  privately  after 
the  service,  it  was  with  a  fear  and  trembling  that  had  rea- 
son for  its  basis,  that  we  both  descended  from  the  pulpit  to 
meet  whoever  might  care  to  come.  One  by  one  they  came 
forward,  each  writing  the  subscription  beneath  the  other 
until  more  than  a  thousand  dollars  was  totaled.  Then  I  saw 
a  man  with  iron  grey  hair  and  kindly  eyes  approaching  me. 
"How  much  would  you  like  for  me  to  give  you?"  he  asked. 
"Anything,"  I  answered,  "from  a  penny  up."  "Well,"  he  re- 
plied, "I  think  I  will  give  you  about  ten  thousand  dollars." 
Frankly,  I  thought  he  was  joking,  for  there  was  a  little 
smile  on  his  lips,  but  I  handed  him  a  paper  to  sign.  "How 
would  you  like  it  paid?"  he  asked.  Thinking  I  would  carry 
the  joke  out,  I  answered,  "Make  it  payable  on  demand."  A 
moment  later  he  handed  me  back  the  paper  and  there  was 
ten  thousand  dollars  written  on  it,  "Payable  on  demand." 
His  pastor  had  seen  it  and  I  heard  him  say  as  he  extended 
his  hand,  "Splendid,  Mr.  Lupton,  splendid ;  I  had  half  an 
idea  that  you  would  do  something  like  that." 

I  pause  to  pay  this  tribute  to  J.  T.  Lupton,  of  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee.  Even  he  did  not  know  what  a  great  thing  his 
God  was  doing  when  the  two  of  them  wrote  his  name  on  that 
paper  on  November  1,  1914,  for  the  gift  that  he  made  had 
about  it  all  of  the  fine  aroma  of  similar  gifts  already  given 
by  men  of  smaller  means  who  must  sacrifice  to  do  their  duty 
to  Oglethorpe,  and  it  had  this  rather  fine  thing  in  it ;  that 

If  you  have  ever  had  anything  to  do  with  Montreat  you  iinow  him,  and 
the  story   of  his   generosity   there. 

If  you  have  ever  read  the  Presbyterian  Standard  you  have  him  to 
thank  for  it. 

Every  other  agency  in  the  church  has  felt  his  kindly  touch,  including 
liis   local    state   educational    interests. 

But  Belk  can  see  even  beyond   North  Carolina. 

So  he  set  his  hand  to  join  in  doing  the  biggest  thing  that  his  genera- 
tion has  planned  to  do  for  their  church,  and  joined  the  Oglethorpe  Founders. 


AGAIN    THE    CHURCHES  101 

it  was  given  as  a  son  of  God  ought  to  give  if  he  can  do  it. 
There  were  no  strings  tied  to  it;  there  was  no  if  and  no  and; 
it  was,  therefore,  something  more  than  a  gift,  it  was  a  prayer 
and  it  had  combined  the  finest  elements  of  prayer:  faith  in 
the  cause;  faith  in  the  man  presenting  the  cause;  faith  in  the 
pastor  inviting  that  man ;  faith  in  his  church  who  had  hith- 
erto responded  so  splendidly  and  faith  in  that  great,  vast 
power  by  whose  hand  his  university  was  rising  from  the 
dead. 

When  the  check  that  Mr.  Lupton  sent -a  few  weeks  later 
reached  the  Oglethorpe  treasury,  it  deepened  the  faith  of 
even  our  men  in  Atlanta.  It  was  the  first  large  contribution 
given  in  cash  to  the  cause  and  it  sent  a  thrill  of  satisfaction 
and  inspiration  to  every  person  who  had  contributed  in 
money  or  in  work  or  in  prayer  to  the  work  that  had  been 
done  up  to  that  time. 

For  three  years  I  had  been  searching  the  South  for  just 
such  a  man.     I  found  many  like  him  among  our  men  and 

And  there  is  a  little  class  of  girls  iu   that  church  who  have  promised  us 
their  picture  for  the  Westminster.     That  will  come  later. 


(57)  The  Presbyterians  of  Chattanooga  gave  over  thirteea  thousand  dol- 
lars to  refound  their  old  University. 

This  was  made  possible  by  the  liberality,  largely,  of  one  man,  J.  T.  Lup- 
ton. 

In  a  way  that  that  shall  connect  his  name  most  intimately  with  the  great 
work  to  which  he  set  his  hand,  with  a  generosity  that  all  Presbyterians  who 
love  their  Church  must  ever  cherish,  and  with  a  faith  that  ought  to  thrill 
every  worth-while  person  in  our  Church,  he  wrote  a  check  for  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  as  his  opinion   of  what  we  must  do. 

The  sight  of  such  a  giver  ought  surely  to  make  the  whole  Church  freely 
give. 

And  when  "Tom  McCallie"s  Church"  heard  of  it,  they  did  a  splendid 
part   by   their    University. 

Outside  of  giving  more  than  two  thousand  dollars,  they  put  McCallie 
and  Milllgaa  on  the  Board  of  Directors  to  represent  their  Church,  two  men 
who  match  with  Dr.  Bachman  and  J.  T.  Lupton  of  the  First  Church.  The 
four  will  represent  the  Presbyterians  of  Chattanooga  on  the  Board. 

Other  gifts  came  in  during  the  month  also,  generous  gifts  from  great- 
hearted people,  until  the  total  subscriptions  for  the  month  mounted  to  prac- 
tically   twenty    thousand    dollars. 

Aud  this  was  a  war  month. 

The  motto  of  Oglethorpe   University   is:     Manu   Dei   Kesurrexit. 

For  by   the  hand   of  God   she  has   risen   from   ilic   dead. 


102  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

women  in  spirit,  but  few  like  him  in  that  rare  combination 
of  means  and  spirit.  As  long  as  there  is  an  Oglethorpe  Uni- 
versity, the  name  of  J.  T.  Lupton  will  be  indissolubly  con- 
nected with  it. 

As  if  Chattanooga  had  not  done  enough,  "Tom  McCal- 
He's  Church, "^■^  for  so  it  is  popularly  known  in  Chattanooga, 
added  over  $2,000  two  weeks  later.  Indeed,  it  seemed  as 
if  almost  every  family  in  the  church  were  represented  on 
the  list.  The  two  combined  placed  Chattanooga,  Tennessee, 
first  of  all  the  cities  of  the  South,  excepting,  of  course,  At- 
lanta, on  the  Oglethorpe  list  in  point  of  amount  given  to 
the  institution,  the  total  from  their  city  being  $13,640. 

And  just  to  prove  that  hearts  beat  warm  even  in  the  midst 
of  adversity,  Alexandria,  Lomsiana,-"^*  wrote  her  paragraph  in 
the  Oglethorpe  history;  wrote  it  with  a  golden  pen,  a  loyal 
heart  and  an  ink  that  was  reddened  with  sacrifice;  $3,510 
was  the  figure  she  put  opposite  her  name,  but  even  that 
amount  does  not  express  her  splendid  loyalty  in  her  darkest 
hour. 


(58)  THE  STOKY  Or  A  GREAT  NOVEMBER. 

One  would  hardly  select  November,  1914,  as  an  ideal  month  for  raising 
money   for  philanthropic   purposes. 

Scarcely,  indeed,  would  cne  find  heart  to  criticize  institutional  heads 
who  during  the  last  few  months  have  ceased  all  efforts  to  secure  subscrip- 
tions to  their  several  works. 

Yet  how  great  His  mercy  towards  those  that  trust  Him! 

First,  let  us   tell  about  Alexandria,   Louisiana. 

A  beautiful  little  city,  one  of  the  best  in  the  state,  a  great  lumbering 
and  wood- working  center— and  therefore  feeling  the  full  effects  of  the  war. 

A  little  Presbyterian  Church,  pastored  by  one  of  the  most  faithful  men 
in  the  Southern  Assembly,  with  a  noble  and  devoted  people  whom  he  has 
shepherded    for   an   even    twenty   years. 

In  membership  made  up  of  folks  from  every  State  in  the  Union,  with  a 
ccnsequently  broad  outlook  upon  the  position  and  responsibilities  of  their 
own    Church. 

When  they  heard  the  Oglethorpe  story  tlu>y  forgot  the  war,  the  depression 
and  all  the  consequent  pessimism.  They  remembered  only  duty  and  faith 
and  God.  They  put  some  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  into  the  Louisiana  me- 
morial at  Oglethorpe  and  did  it  gladly  as  t  people  should  give  to  their  King. 

We  have  promised  an  article  for  the  Westminster  about  this  Church 
and  about  the  work  of  their  pastor  in  his  twenty  years  of  service. 


AGAIN    THE     CHURCHES  103 

Beneath  her  is  the  church  at  Albamy,  Georgia-'"'",  who  heard 
the  story  on  the  first  Sunday  in  December  in  the  very  midst 
of  the  worst  month  and  the  worst  year  that  she  has  had 
since  the  war,  yet  she  has  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of  even 
compared  with  the  generous  gifts  of  the  preceding  year,  made 
by  other  churches,  for  her  total  approximated  $2,000. 

Marshall,  Missouri*'",  the  farthest  point  in  the  Northwest, 


(59)    ALBANY   AND    HER    DUTY. 

Albany,  Georgia,  has  one  of  tbe  most  interesting  Presbyterian  churches 
ill  the  whole  South  blessing  it. 

The  city  itself  is  modern  and  up-to-date.  Great,  broad  streets,  high  class 
mercantile   houses,   splendid   railroad  facilities,   and   The  Albany   Herald. 

Have  you  ever  met  Mr.  Mcintosh  or  his  sou? 

The  father  started  The  Albany  Herald  as  a  daily  newspaper  years  and 
years  ago.  It  has  now  become  a  really  great  little  daily,  sold  everywhere 
through  southern  Geoi-gia,  read  by  probably  twenty  or  twenty-five  thousand 
people.  His  son — H.  T.  Mcintosh — teaches  the  Men's  Brotherhood  Class  in 
the  Sunday  School. 

It  is  a   Brotherhood  and  it  is  taught. 

The  membership  totals  almost  two  hundred.  Think  of  that!  The  whole- 
church    membership    is   far   less. 

Do  you  know  of  any  larger  men's  class  in  any  Sunday  School  in  the 
South  ? 

They  help  carry  the  Church  and  the  Sunday   School. 

They    support    a    child    in    the    Thornwell    Orphanage. 

They  have  an  employment  bureau  to  assist  the  men  of  Albany  to  ob- 
.  tain   work. 

And  they  gave  a  thousand  dollars  to  put  Mr.  Mcintosh  on  the  Board  of 
Directors   of  Oglethorpe  University. 

By  the  way,  Mr.  Mcintosh  has  one  of  the  finest  private  collections  of 
Indian  relics  in  the  world,  right  there  adjacent  to  his  office  in  the  Herald 
building,  and  he  has  promised  to  help  out  the  Oglethorpe  Museum  when 
the   time   comes. 

There  are  lots  of  other  interesting  things  about  the  Albany  Church, 
particularly  about  the  way  S.  E.  Crosby  has  worked  and  prayed  and  led  it 
into  a  broader,  fuller  life,  and  about  the  fine  spirit  of  co-operation  that  per- 
vades it  from  the  pastor  and  Sunday  School  superintendent  down  to  the 
very  little  fellows. 

Drop  in   on  them   some  Sunday.     You  won't  know  it  from   home. 


\(iO)     ANOTHER     STATE     SWINGS     INTO     THE     OGLETHORPE     COLUMN- 
MISSOURI. 

It  was  at  Marshall,  where  R.  C.  McAdie  (pure  Scotch)  is  pastor,  that 
the  Oglethorpe  story  was  told  for  the  first  time  in   Missouri. 

Do  you  recollect  the  blizzard  of  December  13-15,  the  one  that  broke  the 
record  for  chilliness?  Well,  we  saw  it  leave  home  to  come  South  that  day 
in  Marshall.  But  the  hearts  of  the  people  were  warm  and  they  were  the 
first  in  the  fine  old  Synod  of  Missouri  to  do  their  duty  to  their  University. 

There  are  others  in  Missouri  who  will  follow  suit  when  the  time  comes. 
We   have  seen   enough   of  Missouri   Presbyterians   to   know   that. 


104  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

heard  the  story  in  the  midst  of  a  blizzard  fresh  from  Alaska 
and  little  Centerville,  Alah&ma/'^  wherein  dwell  some  of  the 
noblest  hearts  on  earth  , added  also  her  thousand  before  the 
Christmas  holidays  had  come.  One  visit  only  was  made  be- 
tween that  date  and  the  laying-  of  the  corner  stone  of  our 
first  building.  It  was  to  Lakeland,  Florida,*^-  where  another 
triumph  of  generosity  was  recorded. 


(61)    THE    THIRD    TIME    THAT    IT    RAINED. 

It  was  at  Ceuterville,  Alabama,  December  20th,  1914.  The  other  two 
times  had  been  at  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  and  Tampa,  Florida. 

On  all  the  other  seventy  Sabbath  mornings  when  the  Oglethorpe  story 
has  been  told  from  Presbyterian  pulpits  from  Missouri  to  Florida,  and  from 
Texas  to  Virginia,  it  has  not  rained. 

Centerville  has  a  population  of  approximately  one  thousand  people  and 
the   Presbyterian    Churcli   a    membership   of   about   one    hundred. 

Yet  they  put  their  member  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Oglethorpe 
University. 

And  after  they  had  made  up  their  thousand  dollars,  one  good  woman 
put  a  bale  of  cotton  on   top  of  that  just  to   weight  it   down. 

In  doing  the  generous  thing  for  their  University  they  designed  to  restore 
the  old  Alabama  professorship,  which  Dr.  It.  C.  Smith  occupied  at  Ogle- 
thorpe  before   the   war. 

Alabama  has  already  given  about  one-fifth  of  this.  The  balance  will  come 
before   the  job   is   tinished. 

A  big-hearted  folk  are  the  Presbyterians  of  Centerville,  led  by  a  flue— 
Bpirlted   pastor,  J.   P.  Stevenson.     God   bless  them  all. 


(63)    IN   LOVELY   LITTLE    LAKELAND. 

We  are  just  back  from  a  most  interesting  trip  to  Lakeland,  Fla.,  where 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  telling  the  Oglethorpe  story  to  a  little  Presbyterian 
congregation  of  slightly  over  one  hundred  members.  It  was  the  seventy- 
third  time  that  we  have  presented  the  cause  to  various  congregations  between 
Texas  and  Missouri  on  the  west,  and  Virginia  and  Florida  on  the  east.  Up 
to  this  time  not  a  single  church  has  failed  to  make  a  contribution  of  one 
thousand  dollars  or  more  toward  the  refounding  of  Oglethorpe  University. 

In  this  particular  instance  we  had  a  rather  unique  experience.  Not  only 
did  this  fine  little  band  of  Presbyterians  give  the  thousand  dollars  which 
was  asked  of  them  (in  fact  they  made  it  eleven  hundred,  just  to  be  sure  of 
the  amount),  but  Oglethori^e  also  received  her  first  gift  of  ten  ostrich  eggs. 

To  people  accustomed  to  the  prices  of  hen  eggs  nowadays,  at  this  time 
of  the  year,  this  gift  will  probably  appear  respectably  large,  but  when  they 
learn  the  value  of  an  ostrich  egg,  it  will  seem  to  be  a  rather  handsome  gift. 
Mr.  Ford,  who  gave  us  the  eggs,  says  they  weigh  on  an  average  about  four 
pounds,  and  are  worth  fifty  dollars  each.  This  makes  the  ten  eggs  equal  to 
five  hundred   dollars. 

We  are  not  planning  to  start  a  '"Buy-an-Egg''  movement.  Mr.  Ford  tells 
us  that  he  will  sell  the  eggs  himself,  and  send  us  the  money. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  at  Lakeland,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  little 
cities  in  Florida,  is  coniposed  of  great-hearted,  loyal,  lovable  people.  Under 
the  leadership  of  their  faithful  young  pastor,  Kev.  W.  S.  Patterson,  they  are 
steadily    growing    In    numbers,    grace   and    power. 


CHAPTER  Vni 
Laying  the  Comer  Stone. 

Thursday,  January  21,  1915,  will  always  be  Oglethorpe  Day 
for  it  was  on  that  date  that  the  cornerstone  was  laid.  Those 
who  thought  most  of  the  coming  occasion,  had  noted  with  the 
greatest  anxiety  the  threatening  weather,  replete  with  cold 
and  wind  and  rain  and  wondered  whether  the  members  of  the 
board  of  directors  would  gather  from  all  over  the  South  and 
whether  the  North  Avenue  Church,  in  which  the  exercises 
were  to  be  held,  would  be  even  partially  filled  with  those 
who  dared  to  come.  This  is  a  fact  which  may  be  placed  side 
by  side  with  the  weather  record,  previously  referred  to,  that 
Wednesday  was  cold  and  wet  and  Friday  was  cold  and  grey, 
but  Thursday,  January  21,  1915,  was  as  clear  as  a  whistle 
and  as  beautiful  as  a  bright,  blue  sky  could  make  it. 

Those  who  heard  the  exercises  incident  to  the  laying  of 
the  corner  stone  will  recall  that  an  Atlanta  audience  sat  for 
three  hours  listening  to  addresses  and  poems  and  prayers 
and  that  so  far  as  I  recall,  not  a  single  person  left  the  build- 
ing before  the  services  were  completed. 

The  features  of  the  occasion,  which  are  given  more  fully 
in  the  Appendix,  consisted  largely  in  the  numlber  of  promi- 
nent men  present,  including  Dr.  W.  J.  Martin,  President  of 
Davidson  College  and  the  then  Moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  Dr.  R.  A.  Brown,  the  Moderator  of  the 
Synod  of  Georgia,  and  Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  ex-Moderator  of 
the  Assembly,  w^ho  was  also  an  alumnus  of  old  Oglethorpe 
College.  A  roll  call  of  other  distinguished  alumni,  a  letter 
from  the  president  of  the  United  States,  and  a  series  of  poet- 
ical tributes  written  by  the  most  distinsruished  singers  of 
the  South  which  are  to  be  found  elsewhere  printed;  the 
Corner  Stone  Hymn,  sung  so  beautifully  by  Miss  Mayme 
Clvburn,  the  message  from  Dr.     "VVilHam    Owens,     and    the 


106  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

masterly  address  by  Dr.  James  I.  Vance,  were  other  features 
of  the  day.  They  were  followed  by  the  dedicatory  prayer, 
led  by  Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  and  the  benediction,  pronounced  by 
my  dear  father,  the  same  who  used  to  say  that  the  ravens 
fed  us. 

Then  the  ladies  entertained  the  directors  and  their  friends 
at  a  luncheon  in  the  North  Avenue  Church ;  and  public- 
spirited  Atlantans  furnished  enough  automobiles  to  convey 
the  entire  church  full,  for  it  was  full  to  overflowing  of  guests, 
to  the  campus  out  Peachtree  Road,  where  the  corner  stone 
was  set. 

Because  little  Sam  Inman  was  ill  at  home,  his  younger 
brother,  Frank,  placed  the  box  in  the  corner  stone,  and  Dr. 
James  I.  Vance,  pastor  of  the  largest  Presbyterian  church  in 
the  South,  and  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Ogle- 
thorpe University,  pronounced  God's  benediction  upon  it. 
There  were  few  present  on  that  memorable  day  who  doubted 
that  the  walls  of  that  building  would  be  finished  and  even 
they  dismissed  their  fears  when  they  saw  graven  upon  the 
corner  stone  the  motto  of  the  University : 

MANU  DEI  RESURREXIT. 


CHAPTER  IX 
The  Marvelous  Record. 

It  remains  to  record  the  remainder  of  the  work  done 
through  the  spring  of  1915,  and  a  great  spring  it  was.  Mc- 
Comb  City*'%  Mississippi,  of  which  church  my  former  college 
mate,  B.  C.  Bell,  was  pastor,  in  the  midst  of  an  unprecedented 
storm,  added  her  link  to  the  chain,  and  Murfreesbcro,  Ten- 
nessee"'*, as  much  to  the  amazement  as  to  the  delight  ^f  their 
noble  pastor,  J.  Addison  Smith,  did  not  fail  to  follow. 

Came  next.  Corinth,  Mississippi"^,  of  whom  the  same  words 


(63)    THE    BLESSING    IN    A   BLIZZARD. 

McComb,  Miss. — This  is  the  way  the  Monday  moruing  paper  described  it: 
"Mississippi  shivered  yesterday  and  last  night  in  the  throes  of  one  of  the 
most  severe  blizzards  experienced  in  years.  A  mantle  of  snow  and  ice,  rang- 
ing in  thickness  in  the  northern  sections  from  two  to  three  inches,  covered 
the  greater  portion  of  the  three  states,  and  for  the  first  time  in  years  eastern 
Texas  reported  snow  as  far  south  as  the  Gulf.  The  coldest  Sunday  in  recent 
years  was  reported  last  night.  Snow  flurries  were  recorded  throughout  the 
day  with  a  violent  sleet  storm  preceding  the  snow." 

As  we  sat  in  the  pastor's  dining  room  Sunday  morning  at  breakfast,  look- 
ing for  the  clouds  to  lighten  and  the  fair  weather  to  come,  which  the  weather 
man   had   promised,  it  began   to  sleet. 

The  wind  was  blowing  a  gale.  Perhaps  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  con- 
gregation   braved   the   gale   to   hear   the   Oglethorpe   story. 

My  college  friend,  the  pastor,  said :  "There  are  three  folks  that  may  help 
you :     A  lady,  an  officer  and  a  friend  of  the  church." 

That  morning  he  added:  "The  lady  is  out  of  town,  the  officer  also  is 
away,  lying  desperately  ill,  and  the  brother  of  the  church  had  an  operation 
last  week  on  a  broken  toe  and  can't  come." 

But  what  are  dark  moments  for  except  to  trust  in  ? 

The  liftle  band  of  Gideon  were  enough — in  the  hand  of  their  God. 

They  added  their  man  to  the  Board  of  Directors  and  gave  an  even  thou- 
sand   to    Oglethorpe. 

So  a  baptism  of  sleet  also  was  a  baptism  of  the  Holy   Spirit. 


(64)    THE    MESSAGE    IN    MURFREESBORO. 

What  ought  a  church  to  do  in  war  time  (a  church  with  a  debt  of  $19,000 
on  it),  for  the  Oglethorpe  cause? 

Does  that  seem  a  different  question  from:     What  will  a  church  do? 

So  it  may  seem  to  some,  but  not  to  the  Presbyterians  of  Murfreesboro, 
Tennessee. 

They  were  the  seventy-fifth  church  to  put  their  man  (Professor  Lyon), 
on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Oglethorpe. 


108  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

of  praise  are  to  be  used  as  of  the  city  that  preceded,  and 
the  fine  old  Second  Church  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina*^^, 

my  father's  old  mother  church,  comes  next  on  the  list. 

When  I  think  of  Pulaski,  Tennessee,*^*^^  I  see  the  snow  fall- 
ing outside  of  the  window  and  a  loyal  congregation  listening 

And  they  did  it  with  such  a  hearty  good  will  that  you  would  never  have 
known  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a  church  debt  in  the  world. 

Except  that  one  man — after  it  was  all  over  and  the  thousand  dollars  (it 
was  eleven  hundred)  had  been  subscribed — said,  "Now,  let's  get  together  and 
finish  up  that  debt." 

That  is   the  way   it  works :     One  good   gift  provokes   another. 

Dr.  J.  Addison  Smith,  the  beloved  and  distinguished  pastor  of  this  church, 
is  a  unique  man,  and  his  congregation  is  to  be  congratulated  on  having  him 
a&   pastor. 

The  church,  also,  is  a  great-hearted  church.  In  a  great  emergency  they 
were  true  and   faithful. 


(65)    MORE    AID    FKOM    MISSISSIFPI. 

Add  the  church  at  Corinth,  Mississippi,  to  the  Oglethorpe  Roll  of  Honor 
It  was  the  same  old  story — a  great-hearted  people,  a  plain  duty,  an  amazing 
story   and  a  splendid  response. 

We  found  the  church  in  splendid  condition,  showing  the  fruitful  per- 
sonal work  of  Dr.  W.  C.  Lindsay. 

Some  good  friends  of  Oglethorpe  were  already  in  Corinth,  acquainted 
through  the  Westminster  with  the  full  story  of  her  development.  That  was 
a  pleasure  and  a  co-operation  and  a  great  aid. 

The  peoyle  of  Mississippi  realize  what  the  lack  of  a  strong  central  uni- 
versity has  meant  to  their  own  synodical  school  system.  They  are  going 
to   do   their   part   to   remedy   that   defect. 


(66)     SECOND     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH     GIVES    GENEROUSLY, 

(From  The  Charleston  News  and  Courier.) 
At  their  morning  service  yesterday  the  congregation  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  this  city  made  a  contribution  of  $1,000  to  the  re-founding 
of  Oglethorpe  University,  the  famous  ante-bellum  Presbyterian  institution 
This  institution,  which  perished  in  and  by  the  War  between  the  States, 
was  the  alma  mater  of  many  great  and  distinguished  men,  among  the.m 
being  Sidney  Lanier,  one  of  the  seven  immortals  of  American  literature,  and 
the  famous  geologist,  Joseph  LeConte,  was  one  of  its  professors,  as  was  also 
Dr.  Samuel  K.  Talmage,  uncle  of  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  and  Dr.  James  Wood- 
row,  uncle  of  President  Woodrow  Wilson.  Founded  in  the  early  days  of  the 
nineteenth'  century  it  did  a  work  of  unparalleled  Influence,  being  the 
first  denominational  college  or  university  between  Charleston  and  San  Fran- 
cisco  south  of  the  Virginia  line. 

The  story  of  its  founding  was  told  by  Dr.  Thornwell  Jacobs,  a  grandson 
of  the  church,  his  father.  Dr.  Wm.  P.  Jacobs,  President  of  the  Thornwell 
Orphanage  at  Clinton,  having  been  a  member  of  this  church  during  his  boy- 
l-.ood  and  college  daj  s.  After  the  address  various  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion offered  voluntarily  their  contributions,  which  amounted  to  a  subscrip- 
tion  of  more  than  $1,000. 


THE     MARVELOUS     RECORD  109 

to  the  Oglethorpe  story,  adding  later  over  $2,000  to  the 
record. 

Pleasant  memories  of  a  delightful  trip  to  Raeford,  North 
Carolina^',  followed  and  of  the  liberal  gift  of  $1,000  made  by 
their  pastor,  Rev.  W.  C.  Brown,  duplicated  by  $1,600  given 
by  members  of  the  congregation. 

Then  came  the  Central  Church  of  Anderson,  South  Caro- 
lina*'*, whose  liberality  was  even  surpassed  by  the  numbers 

This  is  the  77th  time  Dr.  Jacobs  has  told  the  story  of  the  refounding  of 
Oglethorpe  University  in  various  pulpits,  from  Texas  to  Virginia,  and  from 
Florida  to  Missouri,  and  not  one  church  has  failed  by  its  gift  of  $1,000  or 
more,  to  place  its  member  on  the  Board  of  Founders  of  the  University. 
Approximately  !?60,000  has  already  been  pledged. 

It  was  particularly  gratifying  to  Dr.  Jacobs  to  have  his  father's  old 
home  church  respond   so  generously   toward  the  great  work   he  represented. 


(66b)      THE   PEOPLE   OF   PUIi.4SKI, 

In  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  snowstorm,  the  Presbyterians  of  Pulaski, 
Tennessee,  assembled  on  the  last  day  in  February  to  hear  the  story  of  their 
famous   old    university. 

M.  S.  Kennedy,  one  of  the  biggest  hearted  men  in  our  ministry,  a  true 
man  and  good,  had  told  us  that  while  he  did  not  know  what  the  people 
would  do,  he  knew  they  would  do  their  part,  and  if  they  did  not,  he  would 
pay  our  expenses   to   the   next  town. 

The   people   did   all   that   he   expected    of   them   and   more. 

Twenty-two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  was  their  contribution.  We  asked 
them  to  put  one  man  on  the  Board  of  Trustees.    They  put  two. 

People  to   depend   on   are  the   people  of   Pulaski. 


(67)    THE    RECORD    OF    RAEFORD. 

Rev.  W.  C.  Brown,  of  Raeford,  N.  C,  did  a  unique  thing.  He  put  the 
question  of  whether  they  should  hear  the  Oglethorpe  story  up  to  the  people 
themselves.     They  heard  it. 

Raeford,  N.  C,  is  a  brand  new  town,  less  than  twenty  years  old  (founded 
in  1S96).  There  is  now  a  little  city  of  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  people  where 
there  was  not  a  house  twenty  years  ago.  The  church  is  situated  in  a  beau- 
tiful grove  of  pines,  and  W.  C.  Brown,  whom  we  knew  and  admired  fifteen 
years  ago  in  old  Concord  Presbytery,  is  their  beloved  pastor. 

In  spite  of  the  war — and  the  church  is  strictly  in  the  cotton  belt — Raeford 
exhibited  the  spirit  of  which  the  Southern  Assembly  is  composed.  After 
they  had  heard  the  story  they  consulted  one  another  and  made  up — twenty- 
five  hundred    dollars! 

It  was  a  rainy  Sabbath  morning,  the  fourth  out  of  seventy-nine,  yet  see 
bow  well  they  did  their  duty. 

"The  Lord's  weather  never  interferes  with  the  Lord's  work." 


(68)  THE  CENTRAL,  CHURCH  OF  ANDERSON. 

Sitting  here  in  the  old  Chiquola  Hotel,  our  mind  is  fresh  with   memories 
of  yesterday  in  the  Central  Church  of  Anderson,  S.  C. 


110  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

of  names  on  her  list,  showing  how  the  spirit  that  has  made 
Anderson  great,  has  permeated  the  entire  membership  of  her 
Central  Church  and  laying  a  foundation  upon  which,  per- 
haps, Anderson  may  approach  Greenville  in  the  leadership 
of  South  Carolina  for  Oglethorpe. 

I  think  that  what  the  Franklin,  Tennessee''^,  people  did 
must  ever  stand  as  a  great  source  of  inspiration  to  all  who 
love  to  see  men  and  women  do  the  right  thing  in  a  great  way ; 
$4,490  is  the  sum  written  opposite  their  name  on  our  ledger, 
but  large  though  it  is,  it  fails  utterly  to  express  the  great- 

D.  Witherspoon  Dodge,  for  whom  the  church  waited  a  long  while  until 
he  could  complete  his  seminary  course,  is  making  these  people  a  most  admira- 
ble and  exemplary   pastor. 

Everybody   wanted    to    knew    if   we    had    ever   heard    him    preach. 

That  was  one  of  those  questions  that  mean  whole  chapters  in  church 
work. 

His  people  added  seventeen  hundred  dollars  to  Oglethorpe's  life,  volun- 
tarily, as  a  man  would  and  should  give  to  his  God. 

Greenville  holds  the  South  Carolina  record  for  generosity  to  Oglethorpe — 
over  ?4,000 — but  she  has  a  rival. 

There  is  another  church  in  Anderson,  the  old  First  Church,  and  with  the 
record  of  the  Central  before  them  they  will  doubtless  put  the  Anderson  result 
close  by  that  of  their  sister  city. 


(69)     WHAT    rR.\NKl.IN    DID. 

lu  his  invocatory  prayer  at  Franklin,  Tennessee,  Rev.  W.  A.  Cleveland, 
the  pastor,  prayed  that  it  might  be  "a  day  long  to  be  remembered." 

His    prayer    was    answered— marvelously. 

To  begin  with,  the  weather  man  celebrated  the  first  day  of  Spring  (it 
was  March  21st),   by  the   heaviest   snow   of  the   Winter. 

The  Sunday  School  attendance  was  marked  way  down;  but  the  Church 
was  comfortably   filled. 

W.  A.  Cleveland  is  not  only  one  of  the  best-loved  and  ablest  of  our 
younger  pastors  in  the  Synod  of  Tennessee,  but  is  what  Woodrow  Wilson 
would  call  "a  forward  looking  man." 

His  church  is  of  the  same  sort.  It  is  one  of  the  all-round  ablest  and 
best  churches   in   the  Southern   Assembly. 

After  the  service  was  over,  and  they  had  heard  the  Oglethorpe  story — 
how  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  was  rapidly  redeeming  itself  from 
the  stain  of  being  the  only  strong  denomination  in  the  United  States  with- 
out a  university  for  its  sons — Cleveland's  prayer  was  answered. 

Four  thousand,  three  hundred  and  ninety  dollars  was  their  contribution 
to  Oglethorpe,  and  there  is  talk  of  another  thousand. 

Isn't  that  a  record  to  make  the  hearts  of  Southern  Presbyterians  beat 
faster  with  happiness  and  thanksgiving? 

It  was  a  day  long  to  be  remembered. 

A  dollar  for  each  man,  woman  and  child,  black  and  white,  in  that  city. 

What   a    marvelous   people   they    arel 

They  hold  the  Tennessee  record  for  proportionate  giving  to  Oglethorpe. 
Who   can   ever   beat   them? 


THE     MARVELOUS     RECORD  111 

ness  of  their  heart,  the  spontaneousness  of  their  Hberality 
and  the  blessed  kindness  of  their  manner.  I  think  often  of 
them  when  I  need  encouragement  and  of  none  more  than  my 
friends,  Captain  N.  B.  Dozier  and  his  family,  whom  I  men- 
tion not  by  way  of  invidious  comparison,  but  because  every 
name  of  his  family  is  on  our  list,  and  every  one  of  them  has 
paid  his  subscription  in  full,  the  captain  himself  leading  them 
with  a  check  for  $1,000.  The  whole  church  is  of  the  same 
sort  and  because  so  many  others  have  done  nobly  before 
them,  there  are  no  words  left  wherewith  to  speak  in  any  new 
fashion   of  this   noble   church. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  Kingstree,  South  Carolina"",  and 
of  P.  S  .McChesney,  the  young  man  under  whose  enthusias- 
tic leadership  the  little  congregation  has  become  a  strong 
one.  Nearly  $3,000  they  gave,  and  the  church  in  evident  de- 
light and  with  an  interest  so  genuine  that  my  day  at  Kings- 
tree  must  ever  remain  in  my  heart  a  day  of  encouragement 
of  blessing  and  of  inspiration. 

The  two  following  Sundays  were  spent  in  York  County  at 
Clover*^  and  Yorkville''.  This  is  the  same  county  in  which 
Old  Ebenezer  is  located,  and  also  Fort  Mill.  Of  all  these 
four  churches,  not  one  failed  to  give  $1,000  or  more.  Indeed 
their  total  amounted  to  nearly  $6,000. 


(70)    THE    KINDNESS   OF    KINGSTREE. 

A  dismal,  cold  raiu  was  falling  all  day  Saturday,  March  27th,  but  when 
we  saw  the  big  horseshoe  over  Mr.  Hammett's  porch  on  our  arrival  :it 
eleven  o'clock   that   night,  we  ventured  to  say : 

"Perhaps  it  will  clear  up  by  tomorrow."  It  did.  Sunday  was  clear, 
beautiful  and    mild. 

The  Kingstree  Church  is  one  of  the  oldest  Presbyterian  Churches  in 
South  Carolina.     It  is  also  one  of  the  best. 

For  some  fifteen  thousand  dollars  they  have  built  a  structure  which  is 
a  marvel  of  convenience  and  beauty,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  approximately 
five   hundred. 

Speaking  as  a  man,  their  young  pastor,  P.  S.  McChesney,  has  done  a 
wonderful  work  here,  and  he  has  back  of  him  a  loyal,  liberal,  devoted 
people. 

All  South  Carolinians  will  be  interested  to  learn  that  Kingstree  people 
broke  the  State  record  for  liberality  to  Oglethorpe,  so  far  as  proportionate 
giving   is  concerned. 

A  congregation  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  members  (190)  gave  two  thou- 
sand, seven  hundred  and  nineiy-five  dollars  ($2,793.00) 

May  God  bless  you.  Kingstree,  and  all  the  dear  people  whose  loving 
generosity  made  March  the  twenty-eighth  so  great  a  day  for  your  University. 


112  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

At  Morristown,  Tennessee'^,  to  whom  Dr.  Lynn  R.  Walker 
had  recently  come  as  pastor,  another  story  of  happy  success 
was  written.  And  then  came  the  remarkable  day  at  Paris, 
Ky.,  where,  then  and  since,  over  three  thousand  was  added 
by  old  Bourbon  County  generosity  and  where  the  pastor, 
Dr.  B.  M.  Shive,  became  so  interested  in  the  ideal  that  he 
left  all  to  follow  it.     That  was  a  great  day  for  Oglethorpe. 

I   think    the    First    Presbyterian    Church    of  Greensboro, 


(71)    THE    COURAGE    OF    CLOVER. 

Here  was  the  situation  at  Clover:  Friday,  snowstorm;  Saturday,  rain- 
storm;   Sunday,    a    bright,   beautiful    Easter    day. 

A  splendid  little  city  of  twelve  hundred  people.  A  live,  hustling,  conse- 
crated pastor,  A.  A.  McLean.  A  church  membership  of  approximately  two 
hundred   and   seventy-five;  in  a  cotton   country. 

The  Oglethorpe  story  was  presented  on  the  same  Sabbath  that  the  Every- 
Member  Canvas  was  made  (!).  Also,  the  Clover  people  had  been  on  the 
point  of  building  a  new  Church,  until  the  war  came  on,  when  their  plans, 
to  use  McLean's  telling  phrase,  "were  shot  to  pieces  on  the  firing  line." 
They  will  soon  be  redrawn. 

Yet,  this  splendid  body  of  Presbyterians  did  their  duty  to  their  Uni- 
versity, and  added  one  of  their  number  to  the  Board  of  Founders  of  Ogle- 
thorpe. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  is  that  the  Clover  Church  is  a  great  deal  stronger 
and  abler  Church  than  they  themselves  realize.  They  are  a  noble  people, 
and  they  made  the  eighty-second  Church  to  give  one  thousand  or  more  to 
Luild   a   Southern   Presbyterian   University. 

Among  the  contributors  were  liberal  givers  from  the  Associate  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Was  that  not  a  fine  spirit? 

All  praise  to  you,  Mr.  McLean,  and  to  your  noble  people. 


(72)  IN  THE  CAPITAL,  OF  YORK  COUNTY. 

The  Editor  of  the  Westminster  may  be  forgiven  for  saying  that  he 
loved  Yorkville  before  he  had  ever  seen  her,  for  his  grandfather,  Dr.  Ferdi- 
nand Jacobs,  founded  the  Presbyterian  Church  there,  being  its  first  pastor. 
On  our  recent  trip  to  the  beautiful  capital  of  York  County  we  saw  for  the 
first  time  the  old  home  where  his  son,  Dr.  W.  P.  Jacobs,  of  Thornwell 
Orphanage,   was    born.  - 

It  was  the  fourth  time  the  story  had  been  told  in  York  County,  Clover, 
Fort  Mill  and  Old  Ebenezer  being  the  other  three  points. 

We  found  some  lovely  people  in  Yorkville,  among  them  more  than  one 
reader  of  The  Westminster  who  were  waiting  to  hear  the  story. 

Exactly  one  thousand  dollars  was  their  contribution,  and  our  friend,  Dr 
Gillespie,  will  represent  them  on  the  Board  of  Founders. 


(73)    MEMORIES   OF  MORRISTOWN. 

Among  the  most  pleasant  memories  of  the  campaign  for  the  rebuilding 
of  Oglethorpe  University  one  of  the  brightest  will  ever  be  the  day  spent  in 
Morristown,    Tennessee. 


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THE     MARVELOUS     RECORD  113 

North  Carolina'^  of  which  Dr.  Melton  Clark  is  pastor,  did 
one  of  the  greatest  things  in  its  history,  when  it  not  merely 
did  its  duty,  but  did  it  in  so  large  a  manner  as  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  whole  South  to  its  generosity.  Four 
individual  members  of  that  church  gave  each  $1,000.  Other 
smaller  subscriptions  totaled  more  than  another  thousand, 
and  then  Mrs.  James  Woodrow,  mother  of  Mrs.  Melton 
Oark,  widow  of  James  Woodrow,  the  brilliant  scientist  and 

It  was  Sunday,  May  9th,  one  of  those  beautiful  spring  days  when  one 
v^onders  why  the  whole  world  cannot  be  as  beautiful  as  the  valley  of  East 
Tennessee,   a   day   full  of   sunlight   and  songs  of   birds. 

Dr.  Lynn  R.  Walker  is  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Morris- 
town,   a   man   of   hopeful   heart  and   earnest  enthusiasm. 

When  his  people  heard  the  story  of  Oglethorpe  it  was  not  a  question  of 
whether  they  would  take  part  in  its  resurrection,  but  of  how  much  they 
could   possibly   give. 

One  of  God's  great-hearted  women  gave  a  Thousand  Dollars  and  re- 
quested that  her   pastor  should   sei-ve  on   the  Board   of   Founders. 

And  one  of  His  tine-spirited  young  men,  a  man  related  by  blood  to  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  Presbyterian  families  of  the  South,  also  gave  a 
Thousand  Dollars,  and  will  himself  be  on  our  Board  of  Founders.  Other 
members  of  the  Church  subscribed  more  than  Five  Hundred  Dollars,  and  an 
earnest  friend   is  still  at   work   to   make  it   One   Thousand. 

Their  contribution  carried  the  total  for  the  Synod  of  Tennessee  past  the 
Thirty-Three  Thousand  Dollar  Mark,  of  which  more  than  one-third  has  been 
actually   paid  in   cash. 

But  then,  not  only  is  Tennessee  the  Dimple  of  the  Universe,  but  the 
President  of  our  Board  of  Directors  is  the  pastor  of  her  largest  Church, 
and  our  First  Vice-President  is  perhaps  her  most  powerfully  generous- 
hearted  Presbyterian  layman,  and  the  first  member  of  our  faculty  to  be 
selected.  Dr.  G.  F.  Nicolasscn,  is  the  Moderator  of  her  Synod. 


(74)    A    WONDERFLL    DAY    AT    GREENSBORO. 

Everybody  knows  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Greensboro,  N.  C. 
From  the  day  of  its  founding  in  1S24  .to  Sunday,  May  23,  1915,  it  has  been 
a  church  that  led  other  churches.  Great  names  have  been  associated  with 
its  life.  Great  names  are  still  on  its  roll.  Perhaps,  of  all  the  churches  in 
North  Carolina,   none  was   more  important   in    the   Oglethorpe   program. 

When  Dr.  Melton  Clark,  their  loved  and  devoted  pastor,  invited  us  to 
tell   about   Oglethorpe,    we   knew   the   tremendous   importance   of   the   result. 

Nothing  could  have  ended  more  happily.  Though  Dr.  Clark  was  away 
at  the  General  Assembly,  a  Southern  Railway  engineer  with  his  name  on  it 
pulled  our  train  into  Greensboro.  We  were  entertained  in  the  home  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  L.  Brooks,  a  home  whose  kindly  hospitality  was  only 
matched  by  the  great-hearted  generosity  of  Its  owners.  But  Greensboro  Pres- 
byterians, not  satisfied  with  bestowing  every  comfort  and  convenience  upon 
their  guest,  insisted  on  making  a  marvelous  record  for  Oglethorpe.  Mrs. 
R.  P.  Dalton  gave  a  thousand  dollars:  Mr.  A.  M.  Scales,  Mr.  R.  G.  Vanghan 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.   L.  Brooks  did   the  same.     Other  generous  friends   with 


114  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

humble  Christian,  and  aunt  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  promised  $5,000  as  her  contribution  toward  her  in- 
stitution that  she  remembered  with  love  ;  in  which  her  hus- 
band had  done  some  of  the  best  work  of  his  life,  and  on 
whose  campus  her  nephew,  the  President  of  the  Nation,  had 
often  been  rocked  to  sleep  by  the  professors'  wives.  It  is 
an  interesting-  historic  fact  that  at  this  writing,  there  are 
still  living  three  widows  of  perhaps  the  three  most  distin- 
guished teachers  that  old  Oglethorpe  college  ever  had:  Mrs. 
James  Woodrow,  Mrs.  Sydney  Lanier  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Le- 
Conte.*  We  are  hoping  for  their  presence  at  the  opening  of 
the  university  in  the  fall  of  1916,  but  whether  the  good  God 
of  providence  permits  their  coming  or  not,  we  shall  always 
carry  with  us  the  blessed  benediction  of  their  lives  and  the 
lives  of  their  husbands. 

A  unique  presentation  of  the  Oglethorpe  story,  made  at  this 
time,  was  in  a  great  Northern  church  of  a  great  Northern  city, 
The  East  Liberty  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. It  was  through  the  broad-minded  courtesy  of  their 
pastor  that  the  invitation  was  given  and  accepted. 

I  can  still  see  the  young  man  who  wrote  his  name  for  $1,000 
to  help  his  brothers  in  the  South  to  build  such  an  institu- 
tion as  he  and  his  enjoyed  for  years  in  the  North,  and  I 
think  often  of  the  fine  old  Federal  veteran,  whose  subscrip- 
tion of  $250  has  ah-cady  been  paid,  an.d  who  lost  his  arm  on 
the  last  day  of  the  war,  and  of  how  he  told  me  he  was  giv- 
ing it  because  he  loved  the  South  and  her  people.     Other 

smaller  amounts,  make  up  over  a  thousand  more,  and  then  Mrs.  .Tames 
Woodrow,  the  gentle  and  beloved  widow  of  Oglethorpe's  great  professor. 
Added  five  thousand  dollars  as  a  gift  in  memory  of  a  man  who  was  known 
as  widely  for  his  brilliant  Sfientiflc  attainments  as  he  was  loved  for  his 
humlde    devotion    t»    his    Lord. 

AVhen  it  was  all  done  we  sent  the  following  telegram  to  their  pastor  at 
Newport    News : 

"By  reading  this  telegram  please  antiounee  to  the  General  Assembly  that 
as  a  first  answer  to  their  prayer,  voiced  l)y  the  Moderator,  the  Presbyterians 
of  Greensboro.  N.  C,  on  yesterday  gave  over  ten  thousand  dollars  to  Ogle- 
thorpe  University." 

What  a  wonderful  people  He  has  and  what  a  wonderful  God   have  we. 


Mrs.  LeOonte  died  in   California   shortly  after  these  lines  were  wriften. 


THE     MARVELOUS     RECORD  US 

generous  hearts  were  there,  too,  for  their  subscription  totaled 
$1,505.  : 

John  E.  McKelvey,  the  youngest  member  of  our  board  of 
directors,  will  represent  East  Liberty. 

I  had  long  wished  to  tell  the  Oglethorpe  story  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Charlottesville,  Va.'*',  the  more  espe- 
cially, because  their  beloved  and  distinguished  pastor.  Dr. 
George  L.  Petrie,  was  a  member  of  the  famous  class  of  1859, 
in  old  Oglethorpe.  So  when  his  session  invited  me  to  come 
I  knew  just  what  it  meant.  It  did.  With  beautiful  generosity 
they  placed  Dr.  Petrie  on  the  Board  of  Founders  of  the  Uni- 
versity. 

Shortly  afterward  came  Maimiiag,  S.  C",  fine  and  generous 
even  in  the  terrible  days  of  the  European  conflict,  a  church 
which  under  the  leadership  of  their  young  pastor,  L.  B.  Mc- 
Cord,  did  more  than  her  part  for  Oglethorpe,  there  being  a 
representative  on  the  subscription  list  from  practically  every 
family  in  the  congregation.    Shortly  thereafter  came  Millers- 


IN    THE    CHURCH    OF   A   FIFTY-NINER. 

(7r.)  One  of  the  most  interesting  resnlts  in  recant  months  was  the  gift  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Charlottesville.  Va.,  whose  pastor.  Dr.  Greo. 
L.  Petrie,  was  a  member  of  the  class  or  '59  at  old  Oglethorpe,  a  classmate  of 
Sidue.Y  Lanier,  Maj.  .T.  O.  Varnadoe,  Dr.  E.  M.  Green  and  Col.  Jno.  P.  Port. 
This  church,  although  a  liberal  giver  to  Hampden-Sidney  and  Union  Semi- 
nary, :is  well  as  to  the  University  of  Virginia,  promptly  added  orer  a  thou- 
sand dollars  to  the  Oglethorpe  fund  and  placed  Dr.  Petrie  on  the  Board  (>■£ 
Founders  to  represent  them.  , 


(77)  The  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Manning,  S.  C_,  is  the  last  church 
in  which  the  story  has  been  told,  the  result  of  their  generosity  was  something 
over  .$1,.'500,  and  their  pastor  will  represent  them  on  the  Board.  How  nobly 
they  gave— all  voluntarily,  after  the  service,  none  waiting  on  the  other.  And 
that,  too,  when  scarcely  m  family  in  the  organization  was  without  its  case  of 
illnes.s  or  its  sorrow   from  a  recent  death. 


(78)  Millersburg  is  situated  in  that  immeasureably  beautiful  Kentucky 
caunty,  the  envy  perpetually  of  the  less  fortunate  in  more  forbidding  countries 
Venable  was  a  true  friend  and  to  him  was  the  gratitude  due  and  felt,  a  type 
of  those  fine  pastors  whose  words  of  counsel  nnd  encouragement  liave  been  the 
necessary  setting  for  each  success  here  recorded. 


116  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

burg'*,  Ky.,  the  pastorate  of  A.  S.  Venable,  earnest,  devoted, 
optimistic.  It  was  largely  by  his  aid  that  his  church  took  her 
position  as  among  those  who  had  not  broken  the  chain,  but 
had  aided  in  the  founding  of  the  great  school  of  learning.  He 
is  a  t3'pe  of  many  hundreds  of  such  Presbyterian  pastors  all 
over  the  South.  Then  came  Bradentov/n'^,  Fla.,  and  the 
lovely  hospitality  of  that  big  Scotchman,  J.  E.  Henderson, 
coupled  with  the  line  generosity  of  his  great-hearted  people. 
Few  trips  have  been  more  interesting  or  more  productive 
of  good  than  those  to  Texarkana,  Arkansas^",  and  Texarkana, 


(70)      IN    BEAUTIFUL,    BRADENTOWN. 

Wliat  a  kindl.v  and  beautiful  surprise  was  Bradeutown,  Florida.  A  modern 
little  vity  of  handsome  liomes  and  pretty  liuntralows,  and  lovely,  generous 
people.  1  am  tellimg  you  good-bye  for  only  a  short  while.  I  hope,  as  my  train 
cresses  the  beautiful  Manatee  river  on  its  w.iy  home  to  Oglethorpe.  Palmetto 
is  on  my  right  and  Manatee  on  my  left  and  Bradentown  follows  the  sinuous 
course   of  the  water  front   directly   before. 

Yesterday  morning  they  heard  the  Oglethorpe  story  at  Bradentown  and 
a  score  of  generous  givers  added  $1,500  to  the  Oglethorpe  list  with  promise  of 
more.  And  it  was  as  beautifully  as  it  v^-.-is  generously  done.  Vcduntarily, 
as  men  and  women  should  give  to  their  God,  these  noble  people  did  their 
duty. 

llev.  J.  E.  Henderson  is  their  great-hearted  pastor  Eight  years  ago  he 
found  a  little  congregation  of  eighty  or  ninety  members  worshiping  in  a 
wooden  building.  Today  his  membership  is  two  hundred  and  sixty,  and  their 
church  building  of  presised  brick  is  one  of  the  most  complete  and  beautiful 
in  Florida. 

And  here  is  a  singular  fact.  Of  the  two  hundred  and  sixty  members  of  the 
church,  how  many  adults  do  you  suppose  were  born  in  Florida?  Just  one. 
And  in  the  entire  South?     Perhaps   twenty-five  per  cent. 

It  was  the  ninety-second  time  the  Oglethorpe  story  h.nd  been  told  from 
Galveston  to  Pittsburg  and  from  Marshall,  Missouri,  to  Tampa,  (hereafter 
it  will  have  to  be  Bradentown),  and  not  one  single  church  has  yet  failed  to 
puts  its  member  on  the  Board  of  Founders  with  gifts  varying  from  $1,000  to 
$11,500  each. 

Mann   Dei   Resurrexit. 


(80)      THE    SIXTH    RAINY    SUNDAY. 

After  one   of   the   most    beautiful   autumns   known    to   man,    on    the   second 
Sabbath  of  November  came  one  of  the  worst  days  of  the  year.    A  cold,  steady 


THE    MARVELOUS    RECORD  117 

Texas**,  which  are  one  and  yet  divisible ;  which  are  two  and 
yet  equally  generous.  Then  followed  the  memorable  Sabbath 
in  the  Second  Church  of  Memphis*',  and  I  can  still  see  Judge 
Heiskell  as  he  started  the  list  off  with  $200  a  year  for  five 

rain  beginning  Saturday,  continued  Sunday,  dropping  dismay  into  the  heart 
of  the  Oglethorpe  man. 

Dev.  C.  H.  II.  Branch,  a  lovable  hustler,  Is  the  pastor  of  the  First  Prea 
byterian  Church  of  Te.varkana,  Arkansas.  In  a  pastorate  of  less  than  a  year 
he  lias  seen  over  sixty  new  members  added  to  his  church.  This  was  the  first 
rainy  Sunday  of  his  pastorate  and  the  sixth  out  of  ninety-two  of  the  Ogle- 
thorpe Campaign^  Only  forty-two  out  of  a  membership  of  two  hundred, 
braved  the  storm,  yet  they  were  a  fearless  and  generous  hearted  forty  mo, 
With  a  right  hearty  good  will  they  wrote  down  !?1,270.00  as  an  evidence  of 
their  longing  to  see  their  Church  again  in  the  forefront  of  the  work  for 
Christian    Education. 

In   the   responsive   reading    before   tlie   address,    had    they   are   not    read    to- 
gether : 

"Blessed    be  Jehovah   for   He  has   shown    me   His   marvelous   kindness   in   i 
great  city." 


(81)      A    TWICE-TOLD    TALE    IX    TEXARKANA. 

Texarkana,  Texas,  differs  from  Texarkana,  Arkansas,  only  in  an  imagin- 
ary line  which  is  easly  straddled.  Indeed,  at  leaist  one  church  In  the  bi-city 
has  done  jnst  that  thing,  having  its  Sunday  School  room  in  Arkansas  and 
its  auditorium  in  Texas,  but  the  Presbyterians  of  the  city  have  a  church  in 
each  stale. 

On  Sunday,  November  the  21st,  the  Oglethorpe  Story  was  told  in  Dr. 
Carroll's  ihurch,  Texarkana,  Texas.  It  was  the  ninety-fourth  Oglethorpe 
Sunday  to  witness  a  triumpn  of  Presbyterian  generosity  under  the  eye  of  one 
of  the  three  Oglethorpe  representatives.  To  the  gift  of  Dr.  Branch's  Church 
it  brings  the  Texarkana  total  to  $2,420.11. 

For  all  the  lovely  generosity  and  kindly  hospitality  of  the  Texarkana 
Presbvterians — thanks — and    a    University. 


(82)     THE    SECOND    CHI'RCH    IN    MEMPHIS. 

One  of  the  really  great  churches  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Assembly 
is   the   Second   Church   of  Memphis. 

Dr.  A  B.  Curry  is  their  able  and  beloved  pastor.  Mrs.  Curry,  his  dear 
wife,  is  a  sister  of  the  Quarterman  brothers,  known  all  over  the  South. 

Dr.  Curry  was  away  in  Birmingham  for  the  day  and  the  skies  were  cloudy. 
reducing  the  attendance  somewhat,  and  it  was  the  ninety-fifth  time  the 
writer  had   told   the  Oglethorpe  story  from  as  many    Presbyterian    pulpits. 

So  far  as  we  recall  it  was  the  only  time  except  one  wlien  we  have  re- 
turned home  without  a  paper  in  our  pocket  showing  a  subscription  of  one 
thousand    dollars    or    more   to   Oglethorpe   University. 

Yet  the  great-hearted  Memphis  Presbyterians  gave  three  thousand  dollars 
voluntarily   after   the  service. 


118  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

years,  and  such  men  and  -women  as ,  but  their  names  are 

all  written  in  the  Founder's  Book  at  Oglethorpe.  Marshall, 
Texas*^,  did  her  duty  in  the  same  splendid  enthusiastic  way. 
Newbem,  N.  C.**,  swept  at  that  time  by  an  epidemic  of 
grippe,  one  of  the  oldest  Presbyterian  churches  on  the  coast 
and  one  of  the  best,  put  her  pastor  on  the  Board  shortl}-  af- 
terward, and  then  Tattnall  Square,  Macon  Ga.,''-''  the  98th 
presentation,  added  the  98th   marvelous  result. 

You  see  the  paper  is  in  the  hands  of  friends  who  insist  that  there  must 
be  some  more  added  to  it.  That  was  the  way  it  was  also  done  the  other  time 
by    Varnadoe   of   Valdosta. 

At  Memphis  there  was  a  little  boy  who  gave  a  dollar  a  year  for  ten  years 
and  a  distinguished  judge  who  gave  two  hundred  dollars  for  five  years.  What 
great  gifts  they  both  were!  Three  different  societies  or  classes  of  the  church 
and  nearly  a  score  of  genei"ous  individuals  each  gave  as  God  touched  their 
hearts.     May   He  reward  them  all. 

It  will  be  a  wonderful  day  when  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  at 
last  has  her  university,  but  the  most  wonderful  thing  about  it  will  be  its  lo- 
cation— for  it  is  founded  in  the  hearts  of  her  children. 


(S3)  The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Marshall,  Texas.,  and  their  pastor. 
Rev.  A.  O.  Price,  have  one  thing  in  common,  they  ai-e  both  of  them  live,  wide- 
awake, optimistic  and  hard-working.  Their  new  Sunday  school  building  is 
a  perfect  marvel  of  completeness  and  efficiency  and  no  one  would  believe  that 
it  was  constructed  for  the  price  at  which  they  obtained  it.  Their  young 
pastor  has  proven  an  unusual  leader  in  the  hard  labor  of  building  an  effi- 
cient church  organibzation.  His  church  gave  Oglethorpe  a  splendid  boost 
with  a  subscription  of  almost  $1,700,  practically  every  family  in  the  church 
doing  its  part  toward  founding  their  university.  Immediately  thereafter 
they  closed  their  fiscal  year  with  every  debt  paid,  and  as  Mr_  Lyt  Womack 
stated,  "with  checks  in  every  pocket  left  over."'  It  is  a  splendid  sight  to 
know  and  love  a   church  and   pastor  such   as  they  have  at  Marshall. 


(84)  A  lovely  old  church  is  that  at  Newbern  and  a  rich  experience  was 
ours.  It  seemed  impossible  for  the  church  to  do  anything.  The  terrible 
scourge  of  the  grippe  which  had  the  whole  Northwest,  ecimated  the  congre- 
gation. Yet  they  were  a  brave-hearted  folk  who  came  to  their  fine  old 
church  that  morning  and  forgot  even  the  pressing  needs  of  their  own  work 
to  take  part  in  founding  a  university  for  their  Church.  And  after  they  heard 
the  story  they  took  up  their  part  of  the  burden. 


(K.-;)      THE    NINETY-EIGHTH    TIIVIE. 

Dr.  Thornwell  Jacobs  ha.s  just  returned  from  a  trip  to  Macon,  Ga..  where 
he  told  the  Oglethorpe  story  to  the  Tatnall  Square  Presbyterian  Church  on 
last  Sabbath.  , 

This  is  the  9Sth  time  that  he  has  personally  presented  the  cause  of  Ogle- 
thorpe University  in  various  pulpit  from  Texas  to  Virginia  and  from  Mis 
souri   to    Florida,    and    on    last     Sabbath     the     Tatnall      Square     Presbyterian 


THE     MARVELOUS     RECORD  119 

And  the  ninety-ninth  time  came  quickly.  It  was  in  the 
Alabama  Street  church  in  Memphis,  where  a  generous-hearted 
people  for  the  ninety-ninth  time  did  the  same  wonderful 
thing. 

And  what  of  the  one  hundredth? 

We  close  the  record  of  the  first  one  hundred  presentations 
of  the  Oglethorpe  cause  with  one  of  the  most  wonderful  of 
them  all. 

It  happened  at  Quincy,  Florida. 

Nearly  a  half  century  ago  a  young  minister,  an  alumnus  of 
Oglethorpe  Universit}-,  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
Quincy  church.  Through  all  the  long  years  that  followed  he 
was  their  friend  and  adviser,  their  companion  and  brother, 
and  above  all,  their  pastor. 

The  whole  town  loved  him  and  when  he  died  the  whole 
.Synod  mourned  him. 

His  name  was  N.  P.  Quarterman. 

In  the  meantime  his  old  college  had  perished  and  after  a 
half  century  of  sleep  was  rising  again  from  the  dead. 

On  May  seventh  her  President  told  his  people  her  story. 

What  a  strange  coincidence  it  was  that  the  first  time  this 
story  had  been  told  had  been  in  Milledgeville,  where  the  old 
school  died,  and  now  the  one  hundredth  time  in  this  church 
where  all  these  years  she  had  lived. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  people  of  this  beautiful  little  city 
did  a  noble  thing? 

For  the  one-hundredth  consecutive  time  a  Presbyterian 
church  gave  one  thousand  dollars  or  more  to  found  Oglethorpe. 
But  that  was  not  all. 

Voluntarily,  after  the  service,  they  came  forward,  and  fort)-- 


Church  was  the  98th  to  give  $1,000  or  more  to  Oglethorpe.  Their  subscrip- 
tion amounted  to  $1,5(50. 

The  Tatnall  Square  Church,  under  the  inspiilng  ministry  of  Rev.  Percival 
Morgian,  son  of  the  beloved  Dr.  Campbell  Morgan,  is  growing  in  strength  and 
power.     Its  congregation  increases  steadily  and  its  work   prospers. 

With  two  more  presentations  the  fir.'^t  one  hundred  trips  will  be  com- 
pleted and  a  record  of  generosity  established  for  Oglethorpe  that  has  never 
been  duplicated  in  the  history  of  America.  The  smallest  of  the  subscriptions 
amounts  to  $1,000  and  the  largest  to  over  $11,000. 


120  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

one  signatures  totalling-  $4,000.00  pledged  this  royal  gift  as  a 
memorial  to  this  dear  old  beloved  pastor  who  for  so  many 
years  had  exhibited  to  them  the  type  of  Oglethorpe's  alumni. 
And  so  did  the  one  hundredth  presentation  crown  an  amaz- 
ing record  with  glory ! 

"And  so  will  I  go  unto  the  King,  which  is  not  according 
to  the  law — and  if  I  perish,  I  perish." 

For  the  one  hundredth  time  has  He  held  out  the  golden 
sceptre  that  Oglethorpe  might  live. 

One  hundred  times  and  not  a  break  in  the  chain !  One  hun- 
dred congregations  from  little  Sparta  with  fifteen  present, 
when  we  sang  the  Doxology,  to  Dr.  Vance's  great  church  in 
Nashville,  whose  membership  numbers  over  1,600!  One  hun- 
dred times  from  Galveston  rising  from  her  floods  to  Pitts- 
burg answering  with  her  love.  From  Tampa  with  her  rain, 
to  Marshall  with  her  Missouri  storms  and  each  time  that 
strange  power  which  guides  the  destiny  of  men  has  touched 
the  hearts  of  those  who  were  hearers  and  whispered  the 
words  that  have  meant  life  to  Oglethorpe. 

If  this  story  seems  to  you  who  read  it  a  boast,  even  in 
the  slightest,  where  it  should  be  a  prayer,  this  should  iie 
said:  The  work  has  just  begun  and  the  same  faith  that  has 
been  necessary  to  accomplish  that  which  has  hitherto  been 
done  must  be  doubled  for  the  finishing  of  the  deed.  I  knov^r 
the  name  of  Him  who  has  done  this  thing,  for  I  have  seen 
and  heard  Him  at  every  stage  of  His  progress  and  I  believe 
that  He  is  not  only  able,  but  is  willing  to  finish  the  task. 
Nearly  five  thousand  names  are  on  our  books  and  we  know 
them  all  at  heart.  Often  we  think  of  the  other  names  that 
must  come  before  the  university  is  established.  There  will 
be  many,  many  new  ones  or  else  we  shall  not  reach  our 
goal.  Perha]-)S  yours  is  to  be  one  or  else  having  been,  will 
appear  again  on  our  books. 

Come  and  help  us  do  this  great  thing  for  our  church,  our 
country  and  our  God. 

So  we  look  forward  to  the  future,  knowing  that  "He  who 


THE     MARVELOUS     RECORD  121 

putteth  on  his  armour,  should  not  boast  as  he  who  taketh 
it*"  off,"  yet  we  do  boast  in  Him. 

If  Oglethorpe  University  had  received  already  some  mil- 
lions of  dollars  in  cash  donations,  there  would  have  been  no 
need  to  write  this  story.  To  those  who  know,  it  would  have 
sounded  like  the  empty  boasts  of  a  man  who  is  no  longer 
in  danger.  The  essence  of  our  glory  lies  in  just  this  ;  that 
we  have  not  yet  won. 

It  is  true,  of  course,  that  the  whole  world  now  knows  that 
there  will  be  an  Oglethorpe  University  and  that  the  future 
will  mark  its  size  rather  than  determine  its  existence,  but 
we  have  just  begun  the  work.  We  intend  to  tell  the  Ogle- 
thorpe story  in  every  Presbyterian  pulpit  in  the  Southern 
States  just  as  soon  as  our  pastors  and  sessions  will  allow  it 
to  be  told  and  with  the  money,  which  we  know  the  people 
will  give,  we  intend  to  build  a  great  university  rather  than 
a  big  one,  knowing  that  the  bigness  may  come  at  any  time 
and  will  certainly  come  as  the  days  pass,  but  that  greatness 
must  begin  where  the  soul  begins.  To  that  end  we  are  de- 
termined that  the  key  word  of  Oglethorpe  shall  be  quality 
and  that  quality  shall  be  expressed  in  her  every  sphere  and 
form.  That  is  the  reason  why,  when  we  selected  the  loca- 
tion for  Oglethorpe,  we  chose  the  suburbs  of  Atlanta  where 
the  quiet  of  a  college  town  would  protect  as  the  neigh- 
borhood of  a  great  city  would  stimulate  the  minds  of  our 
students.  That  is  the  reason  why  we  chose  the  best  street 
in  Atlanta  and  secured  a  campus  of  135  acres  of  land,  in- 
cluding an  eighty-two-acre  lake,  which  we  believe  to  be  the 
most  beautiful  university  campus  in  the  South.  That  is  the 
reason  why  we  decided  to  build  the  institution  in  a  permanent 
as  well  as  an  efficient  way,  according  to  a  design  prepared  by 
the  most  eminent  architects  and  landscape  artists  we  could 
secure.  That  is  als(^  the  reason  why  we  are  constructing 
each  Iniilding  in  the  most  modern,  up-to-date  fashion  ;  fire- 
proof throughout,  built  entirely  of  granite  with  limestone 
trimmings  ;  of  brick  and  hollow  tile  partitions  ;  of  steel  where 
steel  is  needed  and  covered   with  variegaterl  matched  green 


122  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

slate.  That  is  also  the  reason  why  we  are  providing  every 
comfort  for  our  students,  arranging  their  dormitories  in  suites 
of  bedroom,  bath  and  study  and  charging  such  a  price  for 
table  board  that  the  services  may  be  of  the  kind  that  a  grow- 
ing, working  ^.tudent  should  have,  and  avoiding  the  skimmed 
niiik  diet  which  leads  to  skimmed  milk  thinking  and  living. 

And  we  are  determined  to  do  for  the  South  and  for  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church  a  thing  that  has  never  yet 
been  done;  we  are  going  to  furnish  a  post-graduate  school 
where  our  Southern  men  and  women  may  take  their  Masters' 
and  Doctors'  degrees  in  the  same  intellectual  atmosphere 
which  they  will  find  in  the  best  schools  in  the  North  and  in 
the  same  moral  and  religious  atmosphere  which  they  will 
find  in  the  best  schools  of  the  South.  We  know  that  even 
our  county  high  schools  are  more  and  more  demanding  as 
their  principals  and  teachers,  men  and  women  who  have  and 
deserve  university  degrees,  and  we  propose  to  build  a  school 
where  those  degrees  may  be  obtained  and   merited. 

Aftervv'ard.   the  professional  schools   will   come  also. 

In  this  fine  undertaking,  we  ask  your  help,  gentle  reader, 

I  wonder  if  a  paragraph  could  not  be  inserted  here  that 
would  help  some  man  or  woman  who  at  some  future  time 
may  be  trying  to  do  a  very  difficult  task  for  their  Master, 
under  most  adverse  circumstances.  If  so,  its  value  would 
certainly  consist  largely  in  a  memory  of  the  Rod  of  Hermes, 
which  was  able  upon  touching  any  object  to  transmute  it  into 
gold.  That  is  Vv'hat  always  happens  when  an  obstacle  or  a 
difficulty  is  wisely  handled.  The  vakie  of  any  achievement  in 
this  world  is  always  enhanced  in  proportion  to  the  difficulty 
of  its  accomplishment.  If  great  tasks  were  easy,  there  would 
be  as  many  people  to  undertake  them  as  there  would  be 
beggars  riding  horses  if  every  wish  were  a  horse.  In  our 
own  work  we  have  found  that  there  has  been  slowly  created 
a  species  of  magnificent  confidence  in  the  undertaking  which 
is  just  in  proportion  to  the  ridicule  which  it  first  met.  It  was 
first  called  a  "Folly,"  a  "Fatuous  Dream."  "A  futile  under- 
taking."    Similar  words  of  warning  were  passed  everywhere 


THE     MARVELOUS     RECORD  123 

advising  all  wise  people  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Many 
believed  these  words  and  followed  their  v/arnings,  and  at 
the  beginning-  a  great  deal  of  harm  was  done.  Those  who 
were  back  of  it  even,  didn't  escape  from  personal  flings  ap- 
jv.uaching  false  accusations.  So  the  cause  was  impeded  and 
the  task  made  more  difficult.  But,  as  we  have  slowly  and 
steadily  surmounted  the  obstacles  those  who  were  deceived 
now  believe  in  us  with  a  double  belief.  Dr.  Mark  Baldwin, 
at  Princeton,  used  to  tell  his  ps}'cholo,y'y  class  that  all  true 
faith  was  resolved  doubt.  Certain  it  is  that  he  who  has 
once  doubted  and  after  investigation  has  cast  his  doubts  to 
the  winds  is  a  very  truest  sort  of  friend  in  the  end.  We 
have  many  such.    May  God  bless  them  all. 

Having  read  this  story,  will  you  not  give  us  aid,  in  what- 
ever form  and  way  the  gracious  providence  of  God  may 
permit  you  to  give  it.  We  need  buildings  and  we  need 
endowment,  we  need  encouragement  by  prayer  and  written 
word ;  we  need  you.  Come  join  the  ever-growing  band  of 
men  and  women  who  are  trying  to  do  this  thing.  Write 
your  name  on  the  honor  roll  and  help  us  to  do  this  which 
we  believe  to  be  the  greatest  deed  of  our  generation  for 
our  church,  our  coimtry  and  our  God. 


Just  here  I  make  a  m.emorandum  of  a  rich  experience  which 
has  befallen  me  in  connection  with  obstacles.  When  a  man 
is  endeavoring  to  supply  a  great  need  in  the  name  and  for 
the  glory  of  his  God  alone  :  when  he  is  ready  and  willing  to 
take  any  personal  risk  necessary  to  its  accomplishment; 
when  he  knows  that  his  cause  is  righteous  and  good  and  his 
motives  true  and  loyal  and  noble  ;  then  every  obstacle  is  an 
opportunity,  and  every  difficulty  a  rich  blessing.  To  such 
a  man  there  is  open  a  great  door  and  effectual  and  there 
will  be  many  adversaries.  Every  Avorthy  achievement  that 
history  has  ever  recorded  is  a  story  of  danger  and  diffi- 
culty and  trouble,  and  the  final  day  of  triumph.  After  all, 
is  not  the  chief  joy  of  life  the  discovery  of  God  and  its  chief 
glory  the  knowledge  of  His  ways?     And  when  may  he  mani- 


124  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

fest  himself  so  well  as  when  all  other  friends  have;)  gone 
and  all  other  dependence  failed?  So  I  say  with  the  solemnity 
of  a  man  who  writes  of  the  Infinite,  that  greater  than  our 
vision  of  Oglethorpe  is  the  vision  of  the  hand  of  the  Power, 
who  alone  has  raised  her  from  the  dead ;  made  so  plain  to  our 
eyes  by  a  thousand  strange  and  beautiful  providences.  When 
all  others  failed  to  enter,  see  or  do ;  when  even  the  "lead- 
ers" of  His  people,  standing  in  the  door  of  opportunity  would 
not  go  in.  He  made  bare  his  mighty  arm  and  is  touching 
thousands  of  hearts  of  his  own  by  word  and  pen  and  prayer 
to  do  his  marvelous  will.  Oglethorpe  will  be  a  great  uni- 
versity in  every  true  sense  of  the  word,  but  its  finest  great- 
ness will  lie  'n  the  fingerprint  of  God  which  was  and  is 
upon  it. 

The  glory  of  Gideon's  band  lies  in  just  this:  Tt  revealed 
the  Vast  Sword  of  the  Victor. 

Though  Oglethorpe  may  serve  a  thousand  thousand  gen- 
erations she  will  d(T  no  greater  thing  than  tell  the  story  of 
her  founding. 

I  had  rather  have  seen  God  build  this  school  than  have  it 
after  He  has  built  it. 


Appendix 


LAYING  THE   OGLETHORPE  CORNERSTONE. 
As  Told  by  Mr.  Mcintosh  in  The  Atlanta  Constitution. 

Thursday  morning,  January  21st,  1915.  at  10  a.  m.,  prior  to  the  laying 
of  the  cornerstone,  exercises  appropriate  to  the  founding-  of  the  new 
Oglethorpe  were  held  at  the  North  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church. 

These  services  were  presided  over  by  Dr.  W.  J.  Martin,  moderator 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
president  of  Davidson  College. 

The  invocation  was  pronounced  by  Dr.  R.  A.  Brown  of  Waycross 
moderator  of  the  Synod  of  Georgia. 

The  scripture  lesson  was  read  by  Dr.  I.  S.  McElroy,  of  Colum- 
bus, Ga. 

Calls  Roll  of  Alumni. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  touching  scenes  of  the  entire 
exercises  was  when  Major  J.  O.  Varnedoe,  of  Valdosta,  Ga.,  an  alum- 
nus of  the  old  Oglethorpe,  called  the  roll  of  the  living  alumni  of  the 
old  institution.  Of  that  handful  of  men,  there  were  present  a*^  the 
North  Avenue  Church  Thursday  morning  but  eight  to  answer  the 
roll.     These  men  are: 

A.  C.  Briscoe,  Rev.  W.  T.  Hollingsworth,  B.  L.  Gaillard,  Clinton 
Gaskill,  Rev.  E.  M.  Green,  William  L.  LeConte,  B.  T.  Hunter  and 
Major  Varnedoe. 

As  their  names  were  called  and  each  got  to  his  feet  to  make  a 
short  talk  it  was  the  first  time  that  some  had  seen  the  others  in  very 
many  years,  and  before  there  was  any  speaking  they  hailed  each 
other  by  their  first  names  across  the  floor  and  rushed  up  to  shake 
hands  with  each  other. 

When  Major  Varnedoe  called  the  name  of  Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  of 
the  class  of  1859,  Dr.  Green  rose  and  said: 

"Before  I  say  anything  I  am  going  to  shake  hands  with  a  man  who 
doesn't  think  that  I  recognize  him."  He  walked  over  to  Major  Var- 
nedoe and  said,  "Hello,  Varnedoe,"  and  shook  hands  with  him 
warmly.  There  are  but  four  members  of  Dr.  Green's  class  living  to- 
day. Dr.  Green  spoke  of  the  days  when  President  Woodrow  Wilson 
was  the  baby  at  Oglethorpe,  known  to  the  boys  there  as  "Tommy 
Wilson."    He  said  tliat  "Tommy  was  a  pretty  baby." 

Other  Days    Recalled. 

There  were  many  other  reminiscences  of  the  old  days  at  Ogle- 
thorpe as  each  alumnus  present  make  a  short  talk. 

Dr.   Martin   read  a  letter  from  President   Wilson   in   which   he   ex- 


126  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

pressed  his  regret  at  not  being  able  to  be  present  upon  the  occasion 
of  the  corner  stone  laying.     The  letter  is  as  follows  : 

"The  White  House,  November  8,  1914. — My  Dear  Mr.  Jacobs :  Your 
letter  of  November  7  revived  my  feeling  of  deep  regret  that  I  cannot 
be  present  in  January  at  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the  new 
Oglethorpe  University.  I  feel  myself  in  some  respects  so  intimately 
associated  (by  tradition  with  Oglethorpe  through  my  father  and 
through  my  uncle,  the  Rev.  Dr.  James  Woodrow,  that  it  is  a  personal 
as  well  as  an  official  disappointment  to  me  that  I  cannot  be  present 
and  express  in  person  the  deep  interest  I  feel  in  the  revival  of  a 
university  which  deserves  to  be  cherished  by  all  who  are  interested 
in  the  higher  education. 

"Cordially  and   sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)  "WOODROW  WILSON." 

Introduced  by  Lucien  Lamar  Knight,  odes  to  Oglethorpe  University 
were  read  by  ten  of  the  leading  southern  poets. 

Those  present  to  read  their  own  poems  were  W.  H.  Hayne,  of 
South  Carolina;  Robert  Loveman,  of  Georgia;  C.  W.  Hubner,  of 
Maryland,  and  Benjamin  C.  Moomaw,  of  Virginia. 

Mr.  Knight  read  odes  written  by  the  following,  who  were  not 
present:  William  Hurd  Hillyer,  of  Georgia;  Starke  Young,  of  Texas; 
Carl  Holliday,  of  Tennessee;  Henry  Harman,  of  North  Carolina; 
Madison  Cawein,  of  Kentucky,  and  Samuel  Minturn  Peck,  of  Ala- 
bama.    (We  present  them  herewith  in  full.) 

Odes    Read  at   the    Laying    of     the    Foundation    Stone    of     the     New 

Oglethorpe  University,  January,  1915,  at  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

BY  MADISON  CAWEIN. 

I. 

As  when  with  oldtime  passion  for  this  Land 

Here  once  she  stood,  and  in  her  pride,  sent  forth 

Workmen  on  every  hand, 

Sowing  the  seed  of  knowledge  South  and  North, 

More  gracious  now  than  ever,  let  her  rise. 

The  splendor  of  a  new  dawn  in  her  eyes; 

Grave,  youngest  sister  of  that  company. 

That  smiling  wear 

Laurel  and  pine  •  . 

And  wild  magnolias  in  their  flowing  hair; 

The  Sisters  Academe, 

With  thoughts  divine,  , 

Standing  with  eyes  a-dream, 
Gazing  beyond  the  world,  into  the  sea. 
Where   lie   the   Islands   of  Infinity. 


APPENDIX  127 

II. 

Now  in  these  stormy  days  of  stress  and  strain, 

When  Gospel  seems  in  vain, 
And  Christianity  a  dream  we've  lost, 

That  once  we  made  a  boast; 
Now  when  all  life  is  brought 
Face  to  grim  face  with  naught, 
And  a  condition  speaking,  trumpet-lipped, 
Of  works  material,  leaving  Beauty  out 
Of  God's  economy;  while,  horror-dipped. 
Lies  our  buried  faith,  full  near  to  perish, 

'Mid  the  high  things  we  cherish  ; 
In  these  tempestous  days  when,  to  and  fro 
The  serpent,  Evil,  goes  and  strews  his  way 

With  dragon's  teeth  that  play 
Their  part  as  once  they  did  in  Jason's  day; 

And  far,  with  menace  loud, 

And  footsteps,  metal-slow 

And  eyes  a  crimson  hot, 
Is  seen,  against  the  Heaven  a  burning  blot 

Of  blood  and  tears  and  woe; 
Now  when  no  mortal  living  seems  to  know 
Whither  to  turn  for  hope,  we  turn  to  thee, 
And  such  as  thou  art,  asking  "What's  to  be;" 

And  that  thou  point  the  path 

Above  Earth's  hate  and  wrath. 
And  Madness,  stalking  with  his  torch  aglow 
Amid  the  ruins  of  the  Nations,  slow 
Crumbling  to  ashes  with  Old  Empire  there 

In  Europe's  tiger  lair. 

III. 

A  temple  may'st  thou  be, 

A  temple  by  the  everlasting  sea. 

For  the  high  goddess,  Ideality, 

Set,  like  a  star 
Above  the  peaks  of  dark  reality; 

Shining  afar 

Above  the  deeds  of  War, 
Within  the  shrine  of  Love,  whose  face  men  mar 

With  Militarism, 

That  is  the  prisin 
Through  which  they  gaze  with  eyes  obscured   of  Greed, 
At  the  white  light  of  God's  Eternity, 


128  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

The  comfort  of  the  world,  the  sbul's  great  need, 

That  beacons  Earth  indeed, 
Breaking  its  light  intense 
With  turmoil  and  suspense 
And  failing  human  Sense. 

IV. 
From  thee  a  higher  Creed 
Shall  be  evolved, 
The  broken  lights  resolved 
Into  one  light  again,  of  glorious   light. 
The  all-confusing  fragments,  that  are  night. 
Between  us  and  the  Everlasting,  that  is  God — 

Lift  up  thy  rod 
Of  knowledge  and  from  Truth's  eyeballs  strip 
The  darkness,  and  in  armor  of  the  Right, 
Bear  high  the  standard  of  imperishable  light! 
Cry  out,  "Awake  !    I  slept  awhile !    Awake ! 

Again  I  take 
My  burden  up  of  Truth  for  Jesus'  sake, 
And  stand  for  what  he  stood  for.  Peace  and  Thought, 
And  all  that's  Beauty-wrought 

Through  doubt  and  dream  and  ache, 
By  which  the  world  to  good  at  last  is  brought!" 

V. 
No  more  with  silence  burdened,  when  the  Land 

Was  stricken  by  the  hand 
Of  War,  she  rises,  and  assumes  her  stand 
For  the  Enduring;  setting  firm  her  feet 

On  what  is  blind  and  brute ; 

Still  holding  fast 

With  honor  to  the  past, 
Speaking  a  trumpet  word. 
Which  shall  be  heard 
As  an  authority,  no  longer  mute. 

VI. 

Again,  yea,  she  shall  stand 

For  what  Truth  means  to  Man 
For  science  and  for  Art  and  all  that  can 
Make  life  superior  to  the  things  that  weigh 

The  soul  down,  the  things  of  hate 
Instead  of  love,  for  which   the  world  was  planned; 

May  she  demand 
Faith  and  inspire  it ;  song  to  lead  her  way 

Above  the  crags  of  Wrong 

Into  the  broader  day; 

And  may  she  stand 


XBiS^j 


The  ten    distinguished    Southern    poets   whoes   commemorative   odes,   read   at 
the  corner-stone  laying  of  the  flrst  building  of  Oglethorpe,  are  printed  herewith. 


APPENDIX  129 


For  poets  still;'  poets  that  now  the  Land 
Needs  as  it  never  needed;  such  an  one 

As  he,  large  Nature's  Son 

Lanier,  who  with  firm  hand 

Held  up  her  magic  wand 
Directing  deep  in  music  such  as  none 

Has  ever  heard 

Such  music  as  a  bird 
Gives  of  its  soul,  when  dying, 
And  unconscious  if  it's  heard. 

vn. 

So,  let  her  rise,  mother  of  greatness  still. 

Above  all  temporal  ill; 
Invested  with  all  old  nobility. 
Teaching  the  South  decision,  self-control 

And  strength  of  mind  and  soul; 
Achieving  ends  that  shall  embrace  the  whole 

Through   deeds  of  heart  and  mind; 

And  thereby  bind 

Its  effort  to  an  end 

And  reach  its  goal. 

VIII. 

So  shall  she  win 

A  wrestler  with  sin, 
Supremely  to  a  place  above  the  years, 

And  help  men  rise 

To  what  is  wise 
And  true  beyond  their  mortal  finite  scan — 

The  purblind  gaze  of  man; 
Aiding  with  introspective  eyes 

His  soul  to  see  a  higher  plan 
Of  life  beyond  this  life;  above  the  gyves 
Of  circumstances  that  bind  him  in  his  place 

Of  doubt  and  keep  away  his  face 

From  what  alone  survives; 

And  what  assures 
Immortal  life  to  that  within,  that  gives 

Of  its  own  self, 
And  through  its  giving,  lives 

And  evermore  endures. 


130  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

BY  STARKE  YOUNG. 

I. 

Once  came  the  southwind  from  the  sea 

And  spread  hereby  the  pageantry  of  spring; 

About  these  halls  the  golden  year  might  bring 

Fullness  of  peace  and  the  soul's  harvesting, 

And  learning  woke,  science,  and  poesy. 

The  broad  land  smiled  with  happy  bells ; 

And  in  the  dusk  the  laborer  came  home. 

And  boy  and  girl  along  the  starlit  lanes 

When  sudden  havoc  fell,  blood,  shot  and  flame, 

Aud  burning  homes  and  the  rich  harvest  snatched; 

And  in  the  land,  silence,  and  the  cry  of  birds,  and  women's  tears; 

Wives  left  husbandless  and  mothers  without  sons. 

And  orphans  heaped  with  shame, 

And  virgins  pale  at  the  fire  of  life. 

Oh,  stain  of  the  immemorial'  years ; 

How  then  shall  we  forget 

And  how  wipe  out 

The  implacable  record  of  our  wrongs? 

11. 

From  the  unanswering  world  of  reason,  blind, 

Routed  with  change,  the  answer  cometh  not; 

But  from  the  lives  of  them  where  life  doth  find 

Its  glory  and  its  truth  and  prophecy  comprised; 

The  darkness  of  the  years  shall  be  through  them  forgot 

The  oneness  of  all  love  be  signalized. 

Therefore,  O  Sons  of  our  collegiate  past, 

Teach  us  your  love,  your  faith,  and  from 

The  superabundance  of  your  heavenly  vast 

Send  down  your  spell  upon  our  listening  hearts. 

The  lords  of  science,  law,  and  of  the  rival  state, 

And   tlie   strong  hands   of  the   o'eresteemed  marts. 

And  greatest  of  all  through  Love,  Lanier,  come ! 

Come  delicate  soul  of  music,  brother  saint! 

Down  golden  ways  and  orchards  comes  the  spring, 

And  the  grave  shadow  of  the  clouds  is  gone; 

The  southwind  now  the  swift,  white  rain  will  bring, 

And  birds  return  to  sing  the  waking  years, 

Would  that  thou  wert  here ! 

Whether  it  were  the  mountain's  molded  strength. 

The  world  to  thee  was  joy  in  every  part, 


APPENDIX  131 

Thou  wert  a  poet  that  did  make  his  days 
But  strophes  in  the  hymnal  of  his  life, 
And  in  the  poem  of  the  Universe 
Did  make  his  life  an  episode  of  praise. 
Come,  bring  with  you  your  band, 
Out  of  that  happy  land. 

0  figures  I  have  loved  and  dwelt  upon, 

Dear  brothers  of  a  dead  time,  ye  whose  hands 
Have  scattered  fire  and  love  and  high  disdain; 
Much  have  I  dreamed  of  when  my  feet  should  trace 
Their  pale  steps  backward  unto  you  again ; 
That  time  I  long  for  and  my  heart  is  light 
To  think  that  somehow  on  the  Elysian  hill 

1  still  may  meet  the  Beauty  that  is  dead. 

0  Beauty  Eternal  the  work  that  we  may  do, 
The  hopes  and  visions  of  our  hearts  we  leave 
As  pledges  of  the  love  twixt  us  and  thee; 

And  through  that  love  may  we  become  immortal. 

III. 

And  no  less  great,  O  boys  of  long  ago, 

Whose  generous,  high  intent  led  you  to  death, 

Out  from  your  quiet  halls,  by  you  we  grow. 

By  you  we  greater  are,  and  by  your  mothers'  woe 

Who  when  you  went 

Held  their  pale  faces  up  to  God  in  vain. 

Ah,  not  in  vain,  soon  shall  the  answer  be! 

They  that  in  glory  die  for  honor's  sake 

Are  not  death's  spoils  but  are  his  mockery, 

And  the  dull  dead  who  dwell  in  living  flesh 

Know  not  the  immortal  paths  their  eager  footsteps  take. 

IV. 

Therefore,  to  the  memory  of  our  holy  dead 

1  bring  my  laurel  wreath,  I  am  most  fain 
Of  the  great  voices  sounding  in  their  souls. 
That  they  bring  water  for  the  stain 

For  the  incorrigible  dross  and  the  sow  thistles  cast 

On  us  by  them  who  have  forgot  the  past, 

The   hungry  people   cry   and   are   not    fed. 

Set  out  the  blessed  bread 

Whereby  the  souls   of  men   are   nourished 

Beauty  and  the  ideal  shining  on  the   summits  ; 

The  old  grace  and  honor  and  disdain 

And  the  new  brotherhood  of  man; 


132  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

The  manhood  where  shall  meet 

The  wisdom  oi  the  cloister  and  the  street, 

Oh,  lift  us  up  and  set  in  us  the  name 

That  the  bleak  breath  of  war,  the  changing  winds  of  fate. 

May  not  put  out ; 

Whose  stately  radiance  shining  from  the  gate 

May  fill  the  souls  of  youth  and  draw  their  feet 

From  arts  that  please  the  rabble  and  the  rout. 


Therefore,   Oh   revered   men,   from   out   the   clime 

Whose   secret  night  enfolds   immortal   day, 

Raise  ye   our  vision   of  our   teeming  way, 

That  this  our  road  have   somewhat  of  sublime 

Even  as  had  yours  and  your  compeers, 

Whose  thoughts  cast  burning  shadows   on   our   time 

Whose  summits  beacon  down  our  misty  years. 

That  we  may  learn  to  know  and  wait 

For  through  the  uncertain   nights  and   fitful   days 

For  all  our  changing  state 

God  brings   his    own   perfection   to   our   ways. 


BY  CARL  HOLLIDAY. 

Out  of  the  sky  and  the  sod, 
Out    of   the    star    and   the    clod, 

Speaketh  God. 
Out  of  the  sea  and  the   stream  and   the   fount, 
Out    of    the    forest,    the    mead,    and    the    mount, 

Speaketh  God. 
Yea,  out  of  the  mouth  of  infant  age. 
Out   of   the   heart   of   the   ancient    sage 
Out  of  the  tombs  of  i^e  graven  page, 
Even  from  marts  where  mortals   rage. 

Speaketh  God. 

Multitudinous   are   Thy  ways 

Of  speech, 
Manifold,  how  manifold.  Thy  rays 
Of  truth  that  reach 
From  heaven  to  earth,  a  wondrous  maze 
For  those  who  through  life's  hast'ning  days 
Seek   out  Thy  works   to   praise 
and  teach ! 


APPENDIX  U3 

To   God   all   searching  leads, 
For   God   all   knowledge   pleads 
Toward    God    all    hopes    and    creeds, 
God  —  sum   of  human   needs. 
Oh,  Soul  of  the  Earth  and  the  Sky  and  the   Sea, 
Oh,  Spirit  of  all  that  creepeth  and  fiyeth  and  be. 
Thou  that  singest  through  lark  and  speaketh  decree 
Through   the  thunders   of   heaven.   Oh   unto  Thee, 
Thou  God  of  the  sky  and  the  sod,  and  God  of  the  star  and  the  c'od, 
And  God  of  the  soul  that  aspires,  and  God  of  the  beast  under  lod, 
Unto  Thee  this  day  we  raise 
This  Temple  of  Truth — 
Home  of  Wisdom  unclouded  with  haze, 
Home  of  the  Seekers  who  hopefully  gaze. 
Beyond  the   moment's   fleeting  gladness  and  ruth 
Into  things   as   they  be. 
Into    the   Things    of   Thee, 
Searching  the  mystery. 
Of  Time   and   Eternity. 

This  is  our  gift,  O  God, 
We,    so    prone   to    nod, 
So  prone  unthinking  to  plod. 
Offer    in    dedication 
As   symbol  of  consecration 
Of  self,  of  soul,  of  all, 
To   find  Thy   law,   to   hear  Thy  call. 
Whether  from  den  or  sacred  hall, 
Whether    from    hut    or    palace    wall ; 
We  would  know  God!  This  our  cry; 
To  lift  ourselves  from  brutish  sty. 
To   build   a   faith    that   cannot    die. 
To  grow  in  statures  'neath  the  sky 
Till  that  Last  Hour  when 
Thou  callest  o'er  moor  and  fen 
Thy  Seekers  for  Truth  home  again 
To   know   Thee   as   Thou   art.      Amen. 


134  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

BY  CHARLES  W.  HUBNER. 

I. 

Above  thee,  domed  by  southern  skies, 
A    stately    edifice    shall    rise, 

O  consecrated  stone! 
Science  and  Art's  beloved  resort, 
A  palace  and  a  royal  court, 

With  truth  upon  the  throne. 

II. 
With  loving  hand  and  solemn   rite. 
For  the  grand  cause  of  truth  and  light 

O  stone!    w^e  lay  thee  down, 
Four   square   and  true,  a   sign  to  be 
That  what,  henceforth,  doth   rest  on  thee, 

God's  hand  will  bless   and  crown. 

II. 
Fear   not   the   future,   Oglethorpe ! 
Time  gets  from  God  life's  woof  and  warp. 

And  His  is  the  design; 
He  made  thee  beautiful  of  old. 
And  as  the  coming  years  unfold. 

New   splendor  will  be   thine. 

IV. 
But  the  new  times  demand  new  claims. 
To  meet  them  we  need  higher  aims 

Need   nobler    deed    and    thought; 
Read  wisely  thy  new  horoscope; 
Divinely  led  by  faith   and  hope, 

Thy   glory   shall   be   wrought. 

V. 
A  great  Past  hails  the  greater  New; 
Sound,  solid,   strong,  the   ages   through 

Be    worthy    of    his    name. 
Who  gave  the  world  our  Empire  State; 
Like  him  in  usefulness   be   great. 

And  share  with  him  his  fame. 

By  WM.  H.  HAYNE. 

Here   Faith   shall  build   her   sacred    shrine- 
With    love    divine    impearled — 

And   knowledge    lift,   with    reverent    hands, 
The    lamp    that    lights    the    world. 


APPENDIX  135 

Here,   from  the   womb   of  Hope    fulfilled, 

A  stalwart  child  has  birth 
To   grow   in   marble   and   in    stone, 

Firm  planted  in   the   earth. 

Here,  at  their  Alma  Mater's  breast, 

While  changeful  seasons  fly. 
Men   of   the   future   shall  attain 

The    things   that   can    not    die. 

BY   WILLIAM   KURD    HILLYER. 

O   dream   of   love-craft    realized   in    stone — 
Full  furnished  from  the  heart  of  Georgia's  hills; 

Thou  Mother  of  strong  Manhood — thou  alone 

Canst  picture  forth  the  vision  which  thine  own 
Sweet    predetermined    destiny    fulfills. 

With  mullion'd  gables  against  bluer  skies 

Than   arched   in  Tasso's   time   o'er  Tuscany — 
Quadrangles  ampler  for  large  enterprise 
And  porches   quieter  for  maxims  wise 

Then  fronted  attic  plain  or  English  lea. 

Thine  to  enrich,  from  out  the  exhaustless  store 

Of  things  that  Were  and  Are  and  Thoughts  that  Will, 

Impoverished   souls — thine   lavishly  to  pour 

Upon   today's   dark   stream  the   splendid  lore 
Of  yestertide,  and  many  morrows  fill; 

To    sing,    not    Arms    but    Man — of    exploits    done 

By  heroes  upon  loftier  fields  enrolled — 
To   preach    "this    earth    a    star,    each    star    a   sun" — 
To    brighten    a    barbaric    age,    and    run 

Athwart  its  iron  warp  some  threads  of  gold; 

These   things   are   thine;    and   thou   who    once    wast    dead, 

Thou  art  alive  again,  thy  flags  unfurled. 
The  light  of  resurrection  'round  thine  head. 
To    immortalize    the    mortal,    and   to    spread 

The  peace  of  God  upon  a  war-worn  world. 


136  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

BY  SAMUEL  MINTURN  PECK. 

,  In  human  life  there  are  great  hours 

That  seem  as  lustrous   as  the   stars, 
Hours  so  fair  they  bloom  like  flowers, 

Whose  radiance  nothing  dims  or  mars ; 
At    such    a    glorious   hour    today 
We  meet  together  on  this  spot, 
And  what  we  do, 
Come  joy,   come   rue. 
Will    never    be    forgot. 

So  many  thoughts  beset  the   brain, 

Such  keen  emotions  thrill  the  heart, 
To  seek  to  voice  them  all  were  vain; 

The   theme   out-soars   the   singer's   art. 
Yes,  Oglethorpe,  thy  need  today 

Cries  out  for  him,  thy  bard  most  dear, 
Whose  son^s  were  meet 
Whose  soul  was  sweet, 
The   loved   and   lost   Lanier. 

Perhaps  even  now  upon   this  stone 
His  spirit  looks  with  eye  serene ; 
Be  sure  we  stand  not  here  alone, 

Beside   us   many   a   form  unseen, 
Dead  sons  of  honored  Oglethorpe 
Who  mourned  her  ravaged  walls   forlorn 
With   us   behold 
In  joy  untold 
Her  olden  halls  reborn. 

The  voice  of  God  is  everywhere. 

Sweeter  by  far  than  harp  or  lute; 
Upon  the  sea,  the  earth,  the  air 

Its  tones  sublime  are  never  mute ; 
Aye,  even   from  this   massive  stone, 
That   now   with    fervent   prayer   we   lay, 
Float  prophecies, 
God's  promises 
Of  that  for  which  we  pray. 


APPENDIX  137 


Blest  prophecies !   the  while   they  fall 

Upon   our   listening,   raptured   ears 
What   radiant   visions   rise   to   thrall 

Our  eyes  !  A-down  the  coming  years 
We  see  the  thousands  yet  unborn 
Whom  wisdom's  voice  shall  here  beguile 
Till  manhood's  power 
In  virtue's  flower 
Shall  make  the  Angels  smile. 

O  thrice-blessed  Fancy,  well  thy  brush 

Depicts  for  us  the  future  scene ; 
Within   the   hall   the   studious    hush, 

The    sports    upon    the    lake    and    green, 
For    Oglethorpe    with    wise    intent 
Our   youths,   we   know,   will    rightly   train 
To  work  God's  will 
By  vale  and  hill 
With  minds  in  bodies  sane. 

God  bless   the   men   benevolent. 

Who  give   this   structure   to  the   skies, 
For   them   no   grander   monument 
In   carven   grace   can   ever   rise. 
No   need  of  marble  or  of  brass 
Have   they  to   keep   their   memory   bright; 
Time  can  not  dim 
The   fame  pi  him 
Who  writes  his  name  with  light. 

God  bless   the   church   whose    Presbyters 

Are   strong  in   truth    to    do    and   dare ; 

Homeless    no    more    this    place    is    hers. 

Here  shall  her  great  and  wise  repair, 
Here  shall  they  keep  the   faith   they  kept 
When  days  were   dark   on   Scotland's  hill; 
And  here  shall  shine 
That    faith    divine 
For  all  a  beacon  still. 


138  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

Atlanta,   city   beautiful, 

Fairest  of  all  from  sea  to  sea, 
No  brighter  honor  Fate  could  cull 

Than   fortune   here   hath   brought   to   thee 
Accept   the   charge   the   church   hath   given, 
Thy   grace   'twill   crown. 
And  bring  renown. 
Forever   to   thy   gate. 

O  Southland,  of  thy  living  proud, 

And  glorious   in  immortal  dead, 
Thy  stately  pride  will  ne'er  be  bowed 

If  here  its   cherished  youth  are  sped. 
Taught  here  to  banish  base   desires, 

To  evermore  pursue  the  gleam, 
Their  deeds  shall  chime 
Till  the   death   of  time 

Like  sweet  bells  in  a  dream. 
December  13,  1914. 


HENRY  E.  HARMAN. 

Two  great  characters  in  Georgia  history  are  closely  linked  with 
the  rebuilding  of  Oglethorpe  University.  One  of  these  is  James 
Oglethorpe,  the  namesake  of  the  institution,  and  the  other  is  Sidney 
Lanier,  one  of  the  first  graduates  of  the  old  school  and  one  of  its 
early  professors  at  Milledgeville.  With  two  such  characters  to  imi- 
tate, the  school,  its  faculty  and  students,  must  live  up  to  high  ideals 
to  rightly  fulfill  its  mission. 

Oglethorpe. 

The   course   of  progress   swings   towards   the   West! 
The   sunset  lands   have  garnered   all  that's   best. 
In  spite  the  lotus  palm  shores  of  the  East, 
In  spite  the  dreamy  lands  that   friction  least. 
Within    the   West    the    human    race    has    found 
Its    safest    home — where    freedom's    hopes    abound. 

When  England  looked  from  out  her  sea-wrapped  isle 
Toward   the   West   some   phanton    siren    smile 
Beckoned  and  called;   and  Oglethorpe,  who   heard 
The   whispered    voice,    with    burning   thirst    was    stirred. 
Through  prison   doors  he   saw  the  face  of  pain 


APPENDIX  139 


And  longed  to   offer  liberty  again 

To  those  beset.    Hence  to  the  West  he  turned 

His   pinnance  prows,  while   inwardly   there   burned 

Visions   of  freedom,   broad   as   was   the   sea 

On  which  he  sailed — God's  land  of  destiny. 

Out   of  the   past   on   history's   page   he   stands 
Prince  of  the   Prisoners,  whose  willing  hands 
Wrought  in   the   shadow   and   the    tangled   shade 
Of  forest  wild,  with   plgw  and  pick  and  spade; 
Till  on   these   shores  he  planted   here   to  stay 
The  state  and  name  we  celebrate  today. 
Look,  you,  to  where  the  fair  Savannah   flows 
Into   the   sea,   where   every   sailor   knows 
And  seeks  the  Tybee  light,  that  sends  afar 
Its  rays  of  welcome,  like  a  gleaming  star, 
And  see  in  this  the  prototype  of  him. 
Who,  out  on  these  thick  forest  wilds  so  dim 
Lifted  the  light   of  hope  that  men  might   see 
The   broader   paths   of  human   majesty. 

'Tis  well  to   link  his  memory  and   fame 

With  this  great  task  and  his  immortal  name. 

And  yet,  methinks,   the   task  is   doubly  great 

On  those  who  teach  and  strive  to  emulate 

The   broader    faith    that    stirred    his    tender   heart. 

For  what  he  taught  was  man's  divinest  art; 

The  art  of  living,   so  each  life  may  bend 

Some   wayward    comrade    to   a   better    end. 

Unto   this    work    another   name    as    great 

Is  firmly  linked   for  you  to   emulate. 

Lanier. 

Lanier,   whose   flute    was    like   a   robin's    song — 
Lanier,  who  passed  the  rugged  ways  along 
With   music   in   his   soul,   though   in  his    heart 
The  steel  of  hunger  cut,  but  left  his  art 
Unmarred — to  silence  wrong  and  doubt. 

Like  as  he  loved  the  magic  of  the  sea. 

Like  as  he  loved  the  marshland's  mystery 

And  taught  his   fellowmen  to  love  as  well. 

The  hidden  things  that  in  seclusion  dwell; 

Like  as  his  creed  and  faith  can  never  die 

But  from  the  ashen  urn  will  rise  and  cry 

For  recognition,  thus  today  we  find 

It   well,   this   task,   with   his   clear   faith   to   bind. 


140  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

And  as  he  taught  the  beauty  of  the  wood, 
The  mystery  of  pines  that  understood 
His  comradeship,  and  in  the  robin's  note 
An  echo  of  some  heavenly  choir  remote, 
Pleading*  with  men,  to  find  in  simple  things 
The  secret  whence  content  forever  springs, 
So  ye  who  teach,  within  these  walls  recall. 
His  clear  marked  path  of  happiness  for  all 
Shams   and  deceit  of  every  kind  disdain  ; 
These,  with  the  follies  of  the  past,  are  slain; 
Clean  hearts,  clear  eyes  and  faces  firmly  set 
Towards    the   right,   be   ever   yours."      And   yet 
Remember    that    his    wider    love    would    claim 
More    freedom    than    endows    the    bigot's    aim 
Here   raise  for  him  a  monument  sublime 
That  shall   outlive  the   rusting  stealth   of  Time. 

Fame. 

Bring  here,  O  Fame,  thy  noblest  deed  to  bless 
This  work  we  do  today.       Bring  all,  nor  less 
Than    that   thy   strongest   sons    have    nobly    done- 
Their   deeds   of  valor — feats    in   battle   won ; 
Bring  here   man's   glory   from   the    land    and    seas, 
Bring   here    the   visions    that    old    romance    sees. 
And   on   this    spot,   new  builded   in   the   West, 
Lavish,   from  out   thy   plenty,   all   that's   best. 

Religion. 

Here    staid    Religion,    with    thy    faithful    eyes 
Bring  all   thy   gifts    of   virtue — all   that   vies 
With  Fame  and  Wisdom  and  with  placid  Art ; 
Bring  here  thy  steady  fiame  to  warm  the   heart. 

Learning. 

And   thou,    fair   Learning,    from   the    fabled    past 
Come,   from  the  misty  ages,   dim   and   vast. 
Give  to  this  shrine,  the  fruit  of  all  thy  cult. 
Give   here   the   garnered   essence   and   result 
Of  all  the   ages,  rich   in   storied  lore 
That  men  may  prize  and  worship  thee  the  more. 


APPENDIX  141 

BY  ROBERT  LOVEMAN. 

("By  the  hand  of  God  she  has  risen  from  the  dead.") 
By  war's   red   rage   old   Oglethorpe 

Was    rudely    overthrown, 
Today  we  dedicate  with  love 

A  later  cornerstone. 

Another,  and  by  grace  of  God 
One  that  shall  for  aye  endure, 
Broad-based  upon  the  rock  of  truth, 
Inviolate  and  pure. 

Here   let   our   sons   in   years    to   come. 

Seek  wisdom  where  she  stands 
Serene,  and  fair,  her  eyes  alight, 

A  beacon  for  the  lands. 

Sweet  Mercy,  Charity,  and  Hope 

Shall  dwell  within   these  walls 
Peace  trail  her  robes   of  righteousness 

About  these  hallowed  halls. 

Here  build  we   for  eternal  years 

White  mansions  for  the  mind, 
O  may  this  temple  steadfast  stand 

Four    squares    to    every    wind. 

O  Thou,  our  buckler,  and  our  shield, 

Point  us  the  nobler  way. 
Bless  thou  the  lofty  purposes 

That  summon  us  today. 

Pallas   sits   smiling  in   the   skies, 
Minerva  calmly  shall  preside. 
About   these   precincts    hover    saints, 
The  Gods   themselves  have   deified. 

0  Temple  fair,  our  hearts  are  thine, 

O  Temple  rare,  thou  art  our  own, 
With   love,  with  tears,  with  joy  today 

We   lay   thy   sacred   cornerstone. 


142  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

BY  BENJAMIN  C.  MOOMAW. 

See  what  a  triumph  hastens  to  acclaim 

The  vivid  story  of  the  vanished  years; 
Out   of  its    threnodies,   out   of   its    fears, 
Like   some   calm  star   above   the   fleeting  haze, 
A  name   already   known   to   fame, 
And  kindled  to  a  generous  flame; 
Of   wider  purpose,  finds   a  deeper  praise; 
Wins   from  indulgent  Time   a   larger  birth 
With  all  its   fine  nativity  of  worth; 
And  when   the  coming  years   reveal 
In  the  wide  world  a  human  weal. 
The  wisdom  of  the  wise. 
The  aspiration  of  an   eager  host. 

The  soul  of  high  emprise. 
The  light  to  lead  us  when  a  world  is  lost 

Amid  thick  darkness,  may  abide   these  halls; 
Build  ye  then  mightily  these  resurrected  walls. 

For  He  hath  wrought  to  whom  impatient  time 

Is  but  the  breath  that  moves  a  trembling  leaf; 

Who  gathers  to  the  harvesting  His  sheaf 
That  He  may  safely  garner  in  its  prime 

The  gleaming  corn 
So  hath  He  wrought  amid  the  songful  morn, 

The   earnest   noon,  the   twilight   and   the    night 
Thus  to  enhance  the  glory  of  a  land 

By  men  who  turn  unto  the  morning  light. 
And  apprehend  the  vision  and  the  dream 

Of  a  new  day;   the  courage   and   the  might 
Evince  of  hearts  that  hail  the  high  command 
Of  duty,  until  now  we  seem 
Well   launched   upon   the   deep'ning  stream 
Which  flows   at  length   the   troubled   narrows   by, 
And  then  sweeps  on  to  wider  destiny. 

Once  kindled  at  a  pure,  etherial  flame 

A  torch  was  borne  across  our  southern  sky 
By  eager  hands  who  sought  the  worthy  fame 
Which  comes  at  length  to  noblest  ministry. 
Yet  soon  exurgent  waves 
From   deep,   Plutonian   caves. 


APPENDIX  143 

Quenched  that  far  flame,  and  flung  the  brand  away: 

But  kindled  by  that  classic  fire  arose, 
Ere  its  bright  vision  fled  the  evil  day, 

Or  here  or  there  a  star  w^hose  vital  light 
Burns  steadily  as  time  exulting  flows, 

So  that  the  torch  once  quenched  in  deepest  night 
They  touch  and  kindle  now  again, 
And   proudly  give  to   younger  men 
To   bear  it   forth,   that   it   may   ever   be 
A  flaming  beacon  for  a  world  to  see. 

And  yet  we  question  if  too  much  our  hearts 
May  turn  into  the  far,  heroic  past, 
When  there  were  men  whose  souls  were  freely  cast 
In  large,  imperial  mould,  or  when  the  arts 
Left  unto  coming  days 
A  legacy  of  praise 
Linked   with   the    liberal,   enlightened   mind 
Whose   fame   has   been  the   service  of  mankind, 
A  throng  well  worthy 
But   there    stands   alone 
Whose  song  aspires   to   every  meed  of  worth, 

A  melody  that  thrills  to  every  zone 
Which  sweeps  to  fill  the  circle  of  the  earth  : 

Great  in  his  art,  but  greater  in  his  soul 
Because  he  built  that  greatness  upon  God! 

Scarce  has   the   lowly  flower  of  the   sod 
Lent  such  a  grace  beneath  the  smiling  sun — 
So  rich  a  grace  beneath  our  southern   sun; 
And  he   that  hearkens   shall  be  swift  to  hear 
Fame's   silvery  trumpet   echoing,   Lanier. 

Out   of   the   years   whose   mysteries    are    known 

To  that  devoted  band  who  marched  away. 
And  sudden  found  themselves  to  manhood  grown 

When  manly  impulse^  glorified  the  day, 
A  voice  descends  to  us  afar 
As   from  the  holocaust  of  war — 
"Here  on  the  fatal  field  the  precious  seed 

So   lavished   in   the   soil   of   deadly  strife 
Shall   bear   a   harvest   to   a   nation's   need 

And  fill  the  garners  of  a  larger  life." 
Oh,  glorious  youth  among  the  countless   slain, 

Hope  of  a  land  bereft,  to  us  shall  be 


144  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

The  sacred  task  to  consecrate  again 

That    costly   sacrifice    to    liberty; 
Ye  call  us   to  eternal  victories ; 

And  for  the  healing  of  the  land  we  love 
To  lay  foundations  that  shall  never  move, 

And  bid  thereon  the  w^alls  of  peace  arise. 

Tis  but  a  moment  that  we  pause  to  view 

That  rich,  that   far  expanding  legacy 
Left  by  the  Alma  Mater  that  we  praise, 

The  grace  and  ornament  of  older  days. 
To  sow,  to  reap,  to  garner  in  the  new, 

As  the  new  beauty  of  the  virgin  morn. 
Or  of  a  cycle  that  is  nobler  born ; 

New  in  the  toward  purpose  of  the  Race 
In    the    infinity   of    thought, 
In  the  infinity  of  grace; 
To  save  the  spirit  of  the  world  to  be 

That  from  themselves,  as  from  a  tyranny, 
The  coming  generations   shall  be   free; 

To   rouse   who   else   might    dwell   within   his    clod, 
Content,   and   thrill   his   breast 
With  the  deep  stirring  of  a  soul's  unrest 
Awakening  to   see   the   face   of   God; 
To  find  no  Iflask  of  age  on  Truth, 
But  beauty  of  eternal  youth 
That  she  may  be,  Feyond  all  other  things, 
Bride  of  the  soul,  and  mother  unto  kings; 

This   is   the   mount   of  vision ; 
Let  us   arise  to  that  exalted  height 

Where  every  cloud  rolls  far  'beneath   our  feet 
And  see  a  nation  walking  in  its  might. 
Great  in  its  victories,  greater  in  defeat; 
Expanding  with  a  majesty 
Befitting  ages  j'-et  to  be; 
To  serve  them  in  the  eras  that  shall  come 

Upon  a  world  of  wondrous   change,  we  build, 
We   consecrate   these  walls;   and  may  the   sum 

Of  every  promise,  every  hope  fulfilled 
In   this  great  offering  to  humanity 
Be  but  the  sunrise  of  its  destiny. 


APPENDIX  145 

CORNERSTONE  HYMN. 

The  cornerstone  hymn,  which  was  written  by  Dr.  Thornwell  Jacobs 
of  Atlanta,  was  sung  by  Miss  Mayme  Clyburn. 

Fair  Alma  Mater,  Oglethorpe, 

Thou  didst  for  others   die, 
And   now   above    thy   broken    tomb. 

Thy  Lord  uplifts  thee,  high  ! 
For  he   doth   live   in   every  stone 

We  worthily  have  brought, 
And  he  doth  move  in  every  deed, 

We  righteously  have  wrought. 

We  give  to  thee  our  lives  to  mold 

And  thou  to  us   dost   give 
Thy  life,  whose  pulse-beat  is  the  Truth, 

Wherein  we  ever  live. 
And,  as  the  times   pass   o'er   our  heads, 

In    this    we    shall    rejoice: 
That  we   may  never  drift  beyond 

The  memory  of   thy  voice. 

Fair  Alma   Mater,  Oglethorpe, 

Thou  didst  for  others  die. 
So  now,  above  thy  broken   tomb. 

Thy  God  doth  lift  thee,  high! 
His  be  the  earth  whereon  we  place, 

Our  cornerstone  today, 
As  His  the  sky,  whereto  we  raise. 
Our  trustful  eyes,   to  pray. 
Dr.  William   Owens    spoke    for   the  "Oglethorpians,"   which    is   the 
name  of  the  organization  instrumental  in  raising  the  Atlanta  bonus 
of  $250,000.00. 

Masterful   Address   By   Dr.  Vance. 

Dr.  Vance's  address  follows : 

I  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  I  believe  in  life.  I  can 
not  deny  death.  But  there  is  something  greater  than  either.  It  is 
that  dynamic  insistency  which,  having  tasted  life,  and  having  sur- 
rendered to  death,  shakes  ofif  its  shroud,  bursts  the  bands  of  the 
grave,  rolls  the  stone  away,  and  having  left  the  tomb  behind,  emer.ges 
in  the  might  and  glory  of  the  resurrection. 

Thus  we  hail  Oglethorpe  today.  The  splendor  of  this  hour  is 
not  the  celebration  of  a  birth.    We  are  not  here  to  sing  a  lullaby 


146  THE    OGLETHORPE     STORY 

at  a  cradle.  It  is  not  the  renaissance  of  a  life  that  had  fallen  into 
decay.  We  are  not  here  to  recite  an  ode  to  returning  spring.  The 
splendor  of  this  hour  is  life  from  the  dead.  We  are  here  to  chant 
the  glory  of  a  resurrection,  to  lay  the  cornerstone  of  a  Christian 
college  that  lived  and  died  and  is  alive  again. 

It  is  a  distinguished  company  that  gathers  to  witness  the  rising 
of  Oglethorpe  from  the  pile  of  gray  ashes  to  which  the  Civil  War 
reduced  the  old  college.  The  state  and  the  church  have  sent  their 
sons  to  honor  this  occasion.  The  President  of  the  United  States, 
himself  one  of  the  foremost  educators  of  the  world,  has  found  time 
in  his  busy  life  to  think  of  Oglethorpe  and  send  a  message  of  con- 
gratulation. A  galaxy  of  Southern  poet's  have  found  something  in 
the  event  to  stir  them,  and  each  gives  a  song.  Philanthropists  and 
reformers,  financiers,  educators,  churchmen  and  leaders  in  all  the 
movements  which  make  for  human  uplift,  are  here  to  take  part  in 
an  occasion  which  "marks  the  fair  beginning  of  a  time." 

These,  however,  are  not  the  only  ones  to  honor  this  event,  and  by 
their  presence  to  signify  their  estimate  of  its  significance.  There  is 
an  invisible  company  here  today,  and  they  are  profoundly  interested 
in  the  college  that  is  rising  from  the  ashes  of  the  past. 

Chivalry  and  courage   salute  each   other  here   today. 

The  chivalry  of  the  Old  South  steps  out  of  the  shadows  and  bows 
to  us,  for  the  Oglethorpe  that  has  been  was  the  college  of  that 
chivalry — the  chivalry  of  a  civilization  whose  blossom  has  withered, 
but  whose  fragrance  abides,  the  chivalry  which  made  the  Old  South 
the  land  of  gallant  men  and  gentle  women,  and  that  makes  it  now 
the  land  of  song  and  story,  to  which  novelists  come  for  tales  of  love 
and  romance,  and  poets  for  some  theme  worthy  of  their  muse. 

And  the  courage  of  the  New  South  turns  aside  for  a  moment  from 
its  busy  tasks  to  greet  us  here,  for  the  Oglethorpe  that  will  be  is 
the  college  of  that  courage — the  courage  that  has  faced  ruin  without 
a  fear,  that  has  fought  its  way  through  grim  poverty  and  stark  ad- 
versity, that  has  never  wavered  nor  turned  backward,  and  that  is 
making  the  South  sunny  with  hope,  and  blessing  her  people  with 
prosperity  and  peace. 

Chivalry  with  a  flower  and  courage  with  a  tool  step  out  side  by 
side,  and  hail  the  day,  and  tell  us  they  are  proud  of  the  hour,  and 
pledge  themselves  to  guard  the  destinies  of  the  college  we  are  re- 
founding. 

Tradition   and  emancipation   are  here   today. 

Oglethorpe  starts  out  with  an  historic  background.  This  is  some- 
thing money  can  not  buy.  Millionaires  may  found  and  endow  great 
schools,  but  they  can  not  purchase  the  past.    The  past  must  be  in- 


APPENDIX  147 

herited.  Oglethorpe  has  a  rich  heritage  of  tradition.  As  the  youth 
gather  here  to  be  fitted  for  life,  the  past  will  speak  to  them.  Down 
the  silent  halls  of  tradition  noble  spirits  will  come  to  meet  them, 
and  out  of  the  spent  years  will  flow  a  presence  to  cast  the  spell  of 
greatness  over  life. 

Oglethorpe  starts  with  a  dowry  of  freedom.  Its  face  is  toward 
the  morning.  The  strength  of  youth  is  in  its  blood.  While  it  is 
blessed  by  tradition,  it  is  not  hampered  by  tradition.  Its  policies 
are  not  to  be  cramped  in  the  grip  of  a  dead  hand.  It  will  adapt  its 
courses  of  instruction  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  living  present,  and 
train  men  to  face  and  master  the  actual  problems  of  life  as  they  exist 
today. 

Thus  tradition  and  progress  lay  their  hands  on  the  cornerstone 
of  the  new  Oglethorpe,  and  say:  "Let  us  help  you  build." 

Faith  and  fruition  meet  here  today. 

Faith  is  here,  splendid,  courageous,  undismayed,  unwearied  faith — 
the  faith  which  is  not  lamed  by  criticism,  nor  soured  by  pessimism, 
nor  crippled  by  flattery,  nor  spoiled  by  success,  the  faith  which 
"endures  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,"  the  faith  which  sees  the 
unseen,  the  faith  which  burns  its  bridges  behind  it,  stakes  all  on  its 
great  adventure,  and  cries  ever  as  it  presses  on:  "If  I  perish,  I 
perish." 

That  faith  is   among  us  today,  thank   God. 

And  fruition  is  here — not  the  fruition  of  a  tree  that  has  borne  its 
last  crop,  but  of  a  field  that  is  giving  us  its  first  golden  harvest,  not 
the  fruition  that  has  finished  its  work,  but  that  is  demonstrating  it 
can  do  its  work,  not  the  fruition  of  a  goal  that  is  reached,  but  of 
an  undertaking  that  is  vindicated. 

Such  faith  and  such  fruition  join  hands  on  this  occasion,  and  pledge 
themselves  to  the  future  of  the  university  we  are  refounding.  These 
are  a  few  of  the  invisible  faces  which  look  out  on  these  exercises 
today.  May  we  not  say  in  the  words  of  one  who  felt  the  spell  of 
the  unseen  and  the  tug  of  the  eternal  at  his  work:  "Seeing  we  are 
compassed  about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  let  us  run  with 
patience  the  race  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and 
finisher   of   our   faith?" 

This  day  of  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  Oglethorpe  University 
is  a  man's  great  day.  A  man  has  raised  the  dead.  One  man  has 
had  a  vision  so  keen  that  he  has  seen  the  unseen,  a  purpose  so 
steady  that  he  has  allowed  neither  the  frowns  of  foes  nor  the  coun- 
sels of  friends  to  swerve  him,  a  courage  so  dauntless  that  obstacles 
have  crumbled  in  his  path,  an  enthusiasm  so  contagious  that  under 
the  spell  of  his  appeal  the  impossible  again  and  again,  has  come  to 
pass,   a   self-effacement   so   utter  that  he   has   thought   more   of   his 


148  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

work  than  of  himself,  an  industry  so  tireless  that  from  its  inception 
the  enterprise  has  never  lagged,  and  a  faith  so  confident  that  there 
was  nothing  for  the  dead  to  do  but  rise.  This  is  Thornwell  Jacobs' 
day.  All  honor  to  him  for  what  he  has  done.  Without  him  this  hour 
would  never  have  arrived.  His  itinerary  through  the  churches  has 
been  a  triumphal  procession.  He  has  again  and  again  appeared  be- 
fore congregations  which  thought  themselves  in  extremes  financially, 
but  after  he  had  injected  the  Oglethorpe  anti-toxin  he  left  them 
amazed  at  the  vigor  of  their  own  state  of  health.  He  has  found 
springs  in  the  desert,  and  secured  thousand-dollar  contributions  in 
very  dry  places.  As  we  lay  the  cornerstone,  let  us  honor  the  man 
whose  vision  has  been  big  and  clear  enough  to  see  what  is  now 
coming  to  pass,  whose  splendid  faith  and  tireles«  effort  are  written 
this  day  into  the  life  of  Georgia  and  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
whose  name  must  always  be  the  first  name  on  the  honor  roll  of 
the  new  Oglethorpe. 

But  Dr.  Jacobs  would  have  found  his  task,  not  impossible,  for  I 
have  come  to  believe  that  the  man  can  do  anything  he  starts  out 
to  do,  but  far  more  difficult,  without  the  help  of  certain  other  men. 
Oglethorpe  had  put  itself  into  some  lives  of  lofty  ideals.  It  had 
sent  out  Sidney  Lanier  to  sing  of  friendship  and  hope.  It  had  writ- 
ten itself  across  the  careers  of  men  of  noble  purpose  and  unselfish 
service,  and  these  men,  most  of  whom  have  crossed  the  Great  Di- 
vide, have  stood  at  Dr.  Jacobs'  elbow  as  he  has  made  his  plea.  Be- 
ing dead  they  have  spoken,  and  men  have  listened,  and  said:  "The 
college  which  has  given  such  sons  to  the  land  shall  have  a  new  day." 

Nor  are  these  all.  Here  in  this  magic  city  of  Atlanta,  a  company 
of  big-hearted,  resolute  friends  have  rallied  to  the  cause,  and  in 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  money-raising  campaigns  with  which 
you  have  entertained  yourselves,  you  have  raised  a  quarter  of  a  mil- 
lion dollars  towards  the  refounding  of  Oglethorpe.  It  was  a  superb 
exhibition  of  the  Atlanta  spirit,  without  which  this  enterprise  would 
have  been  immeasurably  more  difficult.  Aloag  with  you  have  enlisted 
generous-hearted  givers  from  all  over  the  land.  This  is  their  day, 
too.  They  have  all  made  it  possible  for  the  impossible  to  come  to 
pass,  and  they  have  done  this,  not  merely  because  they  were  appealed 
to,  not  simply  in  response  to  the  moving  eloquence  of  a  man  who 
had  put  himself  into  the  cause,  but  they  have  done  it  because  deep 
down  in  their  hearts  they  felt  that  the  South  needed  the  university 
whose   cornerstone    we   are   laying    today. 

Oglethorpe  is  rising  from  the  dead  because  it  is  needed.  Its  mis- 
sion is  not  completed.  A  college,  like  a  man,  is  immortal  until  its 
work  is  done.    What  is  to  be  the  mission  of  the  new  Oglethorpe? 


APPENDIX  149 

How  will  it  vindicate  itself?  By  what  will  it  prove  its  right  to  be? 
It  will  nourish  our  ideals.  It  will  keep  us  from  becoming  the  slaves 
of  our  senses.  It  will  teach  us  that  there  is  something  bigger  and 
better  to  live  for  than  commercial  success.  It  will  introduce  humanity 
into  industrialism,  internationalism  into  citizenship,  and  fraternity 
into  all  social  relations,  arraigning  once  more  with  Oglethorpe's 
great  singer  the  soulless  greed  which  says  : 

"And  the  kilns  and  the  curt-tongued  mills  say,  Go, 
There's   plenty   that  can   if   you  can't;   we   know; 
Move  out,  if  you  think  you're  underpaid. 
The  poor  are  prolific;  we're  not   afraid; 
Trade  is   trade." 

It  will  train  our  sons  for  service.  It  will  give  to  youth  the  con- 
ception that  life's  horizon  is  not  to  be  bounded  by  selfish  interests, 
and  that  success  is,  to  be  measured,  not  by  what  one  gets  out  of 
life,  but  by  what  he  puts  into  it.  It  will  teach  our  young  men  that 
true  citizenship  is  not  provincial,  but  cosmopolitan,  and  that  the 
heroes  whose  trailing  clouds  of  glory  neither  dim  nor  tarnish  are 
those  who  devote  their  lives  to  the  service  of  their  country  and  their 
God! 

Oglethorpe  as  a  Christian  University  will  give  to  the  church  the 
power  which  comes  from  trained,  intelligent  and  educated  leadership. 
Religion  is  not  hysterics.  It  is  not  spasms  of  pious  emotion.  It  is 
conduct  controlled  by  lofty  and  intelligent  motives.  It  not  only 
does  not  degrade  the  reason  in  order  to  exalt  the  heart,  but  it  saves 
and  sanctifies  the  emotions  by  harnessing  them  to  the  great  tasks 
of  life.  Oglethorpe  will  give  to  the  state  the  power  which  comes 
from  men  in  public  life  whose  conduct  is  controlled  by  conscience, 
whose  convictions  are  forged  on  the  anvil  of  Christian  truth,  pnd 
whose  contribution  to  the  public  welfare  will  be  Christian  statesman- 
ship ,and  not  the  opportuneism  of  partisan  and  time-serving  politics. 

Thus  our  university,  with  the  other  colleges  of  the  land,  will  make 
its  contribution  to  Christian  education,  and  to  that  civilization  which 
is  coming,  and  "of  whose  increase  there  shall  be  no  end."  By  such 
a  mission  will  it  vindicate  its  right  to  be. 

Let  us  therefore  lay  the  cornerstone  with  a  great  faith,  with  some 
of  the  splendid  optimism  which  has  made  the  present  hour  possible. 
Difficulties  will  continue  to  pile  in  the  way.  Much  remains  to  be 
done.  Other  buildings  are  to  be  erected.  Endowments  must  be 
secured.  Faculty  and  students  must  be  assembled.  It  is  not  easy. 
Nothing  great  is  easy.  Thank  God  He  does  not  give  us  easy  things  ! 
Thank  God  for  tasks  big  and  difficult,  so  difficult  that  we  can  not 
do  them  without  Him!    Again  let  difficulties  summon  us!  Once  rr.ore 


150  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

let  enthusiasm  light  its  torch  in  the  embers  of  predicted  defeat ! 

Let  us  catch  the  immortal  hope  of  Lanier  as  he  lay  on  his  death- 
bed and  wrote  his  last  song.  It  was  in  December  of  1880.  He  was 
in  the  last  stages  of  the  terrible  disease  that  took  his  life.  With  a 
temperature  of  one  hundred  and  four  degrees,  too  weak  to  lift  his 
food  to  his  lips,  between  severe  paroxysms  of  coughing,  he  wrote 
his  last  and  greatest  poem,  "Sunrise."  Let  us  lift  from  this  dying 
pen  and  lay  on  the  lips  of  his  Alma  Mater  as  she  rises  from  the  ashes 
and  faces  the  morning  the  lines  with  which  Lanier's  unconquerable 
soul  saluted  the  future: 

"Oh,    never    the    mast-high    run    of   the    seas 

Of  traffic  shall  hide  thee. 

Never  the  hell-colored  smoke   of  the   factories 

Hide  thee. 

Never  the   reek   of   the   time's    fen-politics 

Hide  thee, 

And  ever  my  heart  through  the  night  shall  with  knowledge 
abide  thee. 

And  ever  by  day  shall  my  spirit,  as  one  that  hath  tried  thee, 

Labor,  at  leisure,  in  art — till  yonder  beside  thee, 

My  soul  shall  float,  friend  Sun, 

The  day  being  done." 


At  the  close  of  Dr.  Vance's  address  the  dedicatory  prayer  w?.s  led 
by  Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  followed  by  the  benediction,  pronounced  by  Dr. 
W.   P.  Jacobs    of  Clinton,  S.  C. 

After  the  exercises  at  the  church,  the  directors  and  the  visitors 
were  entertained  at  luncheon  by  the  ladies  of  the  North  Avenue 
Presbyterian   church. 

The  party  then  motored  to  Oglethorpe  campus,  where  the  corner- 
stone was  laid. 

Distinguished  men  from  all  parts  of  the  south  and  aged  alumni 
of  old  Oglethorpe,  who  had  not  seen  each  other  in  some  instances 
for  more  than  half  a  centurj--,  took  part  in  the  exercises. 

Several  hundred  people  gathered  around  the  2,000-pound  block  of 
granite  that  formed  the  cornerstone  at  Oglethorpe  campus  and  wit- 
nessed its   sealing  and  setting. 

Campus  Exercises  Opened. 

The  exercises  at  the  campus  were  opened  by  a  prayer  by  Dr.  W.  J. 
Martin,  president  of  Davidson  College,  North  Carolina,  and  modera- 
tor of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  for  the  bless- 
ing and  guidance  of  Divine  Providence  upon  the  life  of  the  new 
Oglethorpe. 

With    a   few   brief   words   about   the   history    of   the    old    and   new 


APPENDIX  151 

Oglethorpes,  Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Danville,  Ky.,  and  ex-moderator  of  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian assembly,  introduced  little  Frank  Inman,  Jr.,  who  placed  the 
copper  box  in  the  heart  of  the  huge  block  of  granite.  Master  In- 
man is  the  grandson  of  the  late  Samuel  M.  Inman,  who  was  deeply 
interested  in  Oglethorpe. 

The  spectators  stood  hatless  and  breathless  with  interest  as  the 
little  fellow  struggled  with  the  heavy  copper  box,  a  foot  square,  and 
finally  placed  it  in  its  resting  place. 

Before  the  box  was  closed  and  sealed  many  of  the  spectators  walk- 
ed up  and  dropped  small  coins  or  some  memento  of  some  sort  into 
the  box.  When  in  future  years  the  cornerstone  may  be  opened  one 
of  its  mysteries  will  be  the  names  of  the  donors  of  these  small  coins 
and  trinkets. 

Cornerstone  Is  Laid. 

When  Master  Inman  had  placed  the  box  and  all  its  contents  were 
snugly  stored,  it  was  sealed  up  and  the  big  derrick  creaked,  swinging 
the  stone  into  place.  The  mortar  and  trowel  were  applied  and  the 
cornerstone  of  the  first  building  of  Oglethorpe  university  was  laid. 

The  group  of  people  about  the  stone  then  sang  the  doxology  and 
a  benediction  was  pronounced  by  Dr.  James  I.  Vance,  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  president  of  the 
board  of  directors   of  Oglethorpe  University. 

Meeting  of  Board  of  Directors. 

Dr.  Thornwell  Jacobs,  who  has  been  the  moving  spirit  in  the  re- 
establishment  in  Atlanta  of  Oglethorpe,  the  famous  war-time  uni- 
versity, was  elected  president  of  the  new  institution  at  a  meeting 
of  the  board  of  directors  held  at  the  North  Avenue  Presbyterian 
Church  Thursday  afternoon,  immediately  after  the  cornerstone  had 
been  laid  with  impressive  ceremonies  at  the  campus  at  Silver  Lake, 
on   Peachtree  road. 

At  a  banquet  to  the  board  of  directors  of  the  new  Oglethorpe 
university  and  the  alumni  of  old  Oglethorpe,  at  the  Winecoff  hotel 
Thursday  evening,  an  alumni  association  of  old  Oglethorpe  univer- 
sity was  organized,  largely  through  the  activities  and  interest  of 
Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  of  Danville,  Ky.,  and  Major  J.  O.  Varnedoe,  of 
Valdosta,  Georgia. 

Dr.  Green  was  elected  president  of  the  association,  and  A.  C.  Bris- 
coe, of  Atlanta,  was  elected  secretary. 

The  association  will  hold  annual  meetings  and  a  list  of  the  living 
alumni  of  the  association  will  be  compiled  at  once. 


152  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 

BY     WAY    OF    BEGINNING. 

(From  the  first  editorial  of  the  first  issue  of  The  Westminster.) 

The  very  first  thing  we  want  to  say  in  these  columns  is  a  word  of  thanks 
to  the  loyal  and  generous  spirit  in  which  our  enterprise  has  been  met  by  the 
Presbyterians  of  this  community. 

Whenever  you  read  The  Westminster  remember  that  we  do  not  belong  to 
us.  We  belong  to  you.  We  are  yours  because  you  made  us  possible  and  actual, 
and  we  must  be  yours  because  you  must  claim  us,  by  using  us,  by  loving  us, 
by  helping  us.  You  will  find  that  The  Westminster  is  in  favor  of  things.  We 
want  our  hospital  back,  for  example.  We  are  hankering  after  having  the  best 
boys'  preparatory  school  in  the  Southern  States  here  in  Atlanta.  But  more 
than  anything  else  right  now  we  would  like  to  see  the  Presbyterians  of  Georgia 
resume  their  heritage  of  honor  and  blessing  and  re-establish  old  Oglethorpe 
College,  the  Alma  Mater  of  Georgia's  greatest  and  the  nation's  most  lovable 
poet  and  of  a  score  of  strong,  brainy,  useful  leaders  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  man. 

DB.  JACOBS'  liETTEB  OF  ACCEPTANCE. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Oglethorpe  Univer- 
sity met  no  April  8th,  1915,  with  a  full  attendance. 

At  this  meeting,  Dr.  Thornwell  Jacobs,  by  letter,  formally  accepted  the 
presidency  of  the  university  to  which  he  was  elected  on  January  21st. 

By  resolution  of  the  committee,  the  daily  papers  of  the  city  were  requested 
to  publish  the  letter  in  full  because  much  of  it  bears  on  the  ideals  and  purposes 
of  the  new  institution,  and  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  committee  was  unani- 
mously pledged  to  the  first  president. 

The  following  is  the  full  text  of  the  letter. 
"Dr.  J.  Cheston  King,  Secretary,  Board  of  Directors,  and  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  Oglethorpe  University. 
"My  Dear  Dr.  King: 

"Your  notification  that  I  have  been  elected  president  of  Oglethorpe  Univer- 
sity by  the  Board  of  Directors,  as  also  the  terms  of  my  services  as  adopted 
by  the  Executive  Committee,  are  before  me,  and  it  is  proper  that  I  should  give 
you  an  answer  at  this  time. 

"From  the  day  when  I  first  set  my  face  forward  to  accomplish  the  found- 
ing of  a  Southern  Presbyterian  University,  I  have  had  an  ambition  in  regard 
to  this  work.  That  ambition  has  been  that  I  might  be  the  instrument  of  our 
Father  by  whose  labors  such  an  institution  might  be  founded.  I  have  longed 
to  think  more  clearly  about  Oglethorpe,  to  feel  more  deeply  the  throbbing  of 
her  life  and  to  perform  greater  service  for  her  resurrection  than  any  other 
human  being  might  be  permitted  to  think,  or  to  feel,  or  to  perform.  I  have 
desired  to  build  in  reality,  without,  such  an  institution  as  I  had  already 
planned  within.  For  this  institution,  I  have  dared  to  hope  greatness  as 
distinguished  from  bigness,  and  in  its  erection  I  had  planned  that  there  might 
be  expressed  something  of  the  splendid  life  and  spirit  of  that  great  denomina- 
tion whose  intellectual  beacon-light  it  would  be.  Such  an  institution  must  of 
necessity  be  one  complete  whole;  whose  architecture,  material,  purpose,  laws, 
curriculum,  faculty  and  spirit  should  have  but  one  purpose;  that  purpose  being 


APPENDIX  153 

the  production  of  the  highest  type  of  Christian  manhood.  Its  ideals  shouid 
take  hold  of  each  student  from  the  hour  that  he  first  set  his  eyes  upon  its  cam- 
pus until  the  hour  that  it  floats  before  his  dying  vision,  and  should  always  be 
to  him  the  finest  and  the  highest  element  in  his  life.  Such  an  institution,  from 
the  entrance  gates  to  the  power-house  should  be  an  institution  that  would  in 
its  form  and  its  soul  express  the  education  which  it  offered.  Its  architecture, 
no  less  than  its  curriculum,  its  conduct  no  less  than  its  textbooks  should  be 
teachers  of  the  highest  quality. 

"In  the  building  of  such  an  institution,  there  existed  so  many  elements  that 
from  their  beginning  it  was  necessary  for  certain  plans  to  be  adopted  and 
unvaryingly  followed.  It  has  been  my  privilege  to  be  your  servant  and  leader 
in  the  execution  of  these  plans  up  to  this  time.  To  continue  to  do  so  is  a  prize 
to  be  grasped  after.  You  will  understand  me  when  I  say  that  I  do  not  regard 
the  election  to  the  presidency  of  Oglethorpe  as  an  honor  so  much  as  a  privilege. 
It  is  not  the  emoluments  of  the  position  that  I  desire,  but  its  labors,  and  I 
trust  that  I  speak  in  a  spirit  of  humility  and  truthfulness  when  I  say  that  it 
is  not  its  glory,  but  its  services  that  I  crave. 

"And  when  I  say  that  I  accept  the  position  you  offer  me  it  is  with  the  assur- 
ance that  the  fine  fellowship  which  you  have  hitherto  given,  a  fellowship  of 
spirit  and  of  labor,  will  be  even  more  fully  enjoyed  by  all  of  us  in  the  future. 
We  have  set  our  faces,  under  God,  to  do  the  greatest  deed  for  our  church  that 
has  ever  been  attempted  by  this  generation,  and  relying  upon  His  power  and 
redoubling  our  own  determination  we  shall  succeed  in  the  doing  of  it. 

Heartily  yours, 

THORNWELL  JACOBS. 


154  THE    OGLETHORPE    STORY 


Special  Report  of  the  Executive  Representative  of  Oglethorpe 
University  to  the  Executive  Committee. 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  May  6th,  1914. 
By  way  of  approaching  the  question  of  the  future  physical  appearance  of 
Oglethorpe  University,  and  bearing  in  mind  the  limited  means  to  which  It 
will  be  necessary  for  us  to  conform  our  ambitions,  I  desire  to  submit  to  you 
4n  written  form  for  record,  some  considerations  which  seem  to  me  to  be  of 
importance   in    this    connection. 

1.  It  is,  of  course,  agreed  among  us  all  that  nothing  shall  be  done  that 
will  in  any  way  compromise  our  exceptional  architectural  opportunity  to 
build,  even  though  our  beginning  be  small,  a  symmetrically  perfect  institu- 
tion. It  is  enough  to  recall  the  numerous  institutions  of  higher  learning  that 
made  the  initial  error  underestimating  their,  future  and  consequently  encum- 
bered their  campus  with  wrongly  placed  and  architecturally  imperfect  struc- 
tures for  us  to  see  the  advantage  of  that  ounce  of  prevention,  now,  which 
may  save  the  expense  of  thousands  of  dollars  for  cure  later.  I  take  it  for 
granted,  therefore,  that  the  first  duty  of  this  Committee  is  to  secure  a  com- 
plete layout  from  a  landscape  artist,  skilled  in  University  work,  who  at  the 
same  time  will  be  mindful  of  the  traditions  of  our  institution,  the  limits  of 
our  budget  and  the  natural  beauty  of  our  campus. 

2.  It  is  to  the  traditions  of  Oglethorpe  University  that  I  desire  particu- 
larly to  call  your  attention,  affecting  as  they  do  the  entire  scheme  of  the 
landscape  work  and  the  harmony  of  the  architectural  effect.  Oglethorpe  was 
the  first  denominational  university  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific 
oceans  south  of  the  Virginia  line.  Its  history,  its  name  and  its  spirit  carry 
us  back  still  further,  through  the  founder  of  the  commonwealth  of  Georgia, 
to  the  very  best  in  the  university  traditions  of  England.  Oglethorpe  was  the 
son  of  an  English  lord  and  his  family  was,  from  the  days  of  the  Norman 
Conquest,  associated  with  the  life  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge.  It  is  well 
known  that  there  is  a  distinct  structural  type  associated  with  these  institutions, 
as  also  with  the  early  history  of  Presbyterians  in  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States.  I  refer  to  the  pointed  style  of  architecture  vulgarly  known 
as   the  "Gothic,"   the  proper  and   fitting  material  for  which   style  is  stone. 

3.  I  believe  that  all  good  architects  will  endorse  my  saying  that  a  city 
should  be  built  as  nearly  as  possible  of  its  own  materials.  All  great  civil- 
izations, like  all  great  literature,  have  an  element  of  provincialism  in  them 
which  gives  them  their  flavor,  thus  distinguishing  them  in  excellence  and  fur- 
nishing their  contribution  toward  the  total  progress  of  the  world.  Greece 
built  of  her  own  marble,  Egypt  of  her  granite,  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian 
of  their  sun-baked  brick.  In  this  connection  we  are  exceedingly  fortunate 
not  only  in  locating  Oglethorpe  in  a  stone  country,  which  is  the  natural 
building  material  for  the  Gothic  style,  but  In  having  large  quantities  of  this 
material  already   given   and   accepted   for  that  purpose. 

4.  It  seems  to  me  fitting,  therefore,  that  no  matter  what  the  method  we 
adopt  for  the  working  out  of  details,  the  above  considerations  should  be  ac- 
cepted as  the  general  guide  and  specifications  for  the  architectural  scheme 
of  Oglethorpe  University,  and   I   so  recommend. 

TIKJKNWELL    JACOBS. 


FORM   OF   BEQUEST. 

The  proper  form  for  use  in  making  a  bequest  to  Oglethorpe 
University  is  as   follows : 

"I  hereby  give  and  bequeath  to  Oglethorpe  Uni- 
versity, a   corporation   of   Fulton    County,    Georgia, 

$ 

Signature  


If  you  desire  to  leave  property,  in  addition  to,  or  instead 
of,  money,  describe  the  property  carefully  under  the  advice 
of  your  lawyer.  Time  and  chance  work  their  will  upon  us 
all.  Now  is  the  hour  to  attend  to  this  matter.  Do  now  for 
your  university  what  you  would  have  done. 


SUBSCRIPTION    TOWARD    THE    FOUNDING    OF 
OGLETHORPE   UNIVERSITY. 


19. 


For  good  and  valuable  considerations  1  hereby  agree  to 
pay  to  Oglethorpe  University,  a  corporation  of  Fulton  County, 

Georgia,  the  sum  of  $ per  year  for  years ; 

total  $ ,  first  payment  to  be  made  on  

and  other  payments  annually  there- 
after. 

Witness  my  hand  and  seal,  the  day  and  year  above  written. 


